Daniel Ricciardo wins Canadian Grand Prix; Third on the drivers championship table

Daniel Ricciardo

The 24-year-old Australian won the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday for his first career Formula One victory, joining four-time defending world champion Sebastian Vettel on the podium and snapping Mercedes' stranglehold on the circuit this season.

Ricciardo's win was the first this year for any driver other than Nico Rosberg, the pole-sitter and championship leader, Lewis Hamilton, a three-time Canadian GP champion. But the twin Mercedes Silver Arrows were forced to slow down midway through the race to keep their brakes from overheating, and Ricciardo was able to take advantage.

Rosberg finished second under a caution caused during a last-lap crash between Felipe Massa and Sergio Perez, easily protecting his lead in the championship standings. The German has 140 of a possible 175 points through seven races, with two victories . Hamilton, who went to the garage after 46 laps when his brakes overheated, remains second in the standings with 118 points.

With two fourth-place finishes, and a victory in his past five races, Ricciardo moved up to third with 79 points, passing Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, who was sixth and has 69 points.

"We still have a lot of work ahead of us, because the Mercedes are still quite a bit quicker," Ricciardo said.