2015 Canadian Grand Prix

Championship standings

Hamilton enters Canada with a ten-point lead over Rosberg, who has won the previous two rounds in Spain and Monaco. Vettel is a further 18 points behind Rosberg in third.

Previous race

Rosberg won Monaco for the third consecutive year, becoming the first driver since Ayrton Senna to win the race three times in a row. Hamilton had led by nearly twenty seconds when a safety car period in the closing stages prompted Mercedes to pit him — a call the team subsequently apologised for. Rosberg and Vettel, who did not pit, emerged ahead of Hamilton, who finished third. Jenson Button scored McLaren’s first points of the season by finishing eighth.

Penalties

Max Verstappen carries a five-place grid penalty from Monaco for his collision with Romain Grosjean. During the third practice session in Canada, Toro Rosso also equip his car with a fifth internal combustion engine for the season, exceeding the limit; this adds a ten-place penalty. As Verstappen cannot take the full 15-place drop, the remainder is converted to a ten-second time penalty applied at his first pit stop.

Sebastian Vettel receives a five-place grid penalty for overtaking Manor’s Roberto Merhi under red flags during the third practice session.

Practice

Hamilton is fastest in the first session on Friday morning by over a second compared to 2014 pace, four-tenths ahead of Rosberg. Both Lotus and Force India show competitive pace. Hamilton spins when his brakes lock, and Sainz stops at the end of the pit lane attempting a timed lap.

Hamilton tops the second session as well but goes off at the hairpin in wet conditions during the second half, damaging his car. Ferrari are within 0.4 seconds — Vettel second, Räikkönen third.

The third session is effectively ended by two red flag periods: first when Nasr loses control on the Casino straight with DRS open while weaving to warm his tyres and crashes into a barrier; then when Button stops at turn seven with a power unit problem. Rosberg sets the fastest time in the limited running available.