Valtteri Bottas
After a miserable weekend for Williams at Monaco, Valtteri Bottas lined his car on the second row of the grid alongside compatriot Kimi Raikkonen. Chasing the Ferrari would have been always a difficult task, so Bottas put himself in best position to capitalise on any incident.And when Raikkonen spun with engine mapping issues at the hairpin, Bottas took the final spot on the podium - his first since last year’s season finale in Abu Dhabi.
Felipe Massa
Much like Vettel, Felipe Massa had his own power unit troubles in qualifying, forcing him to start from the other end of the grid. However, a clever reverse strategy and some brave overtakes meant that he crossed the line in a satisfactory sixth place, given his grid slot.The Brazilian did a 37 lap stint on soft tyre and was running as high as fifth before bolting a set of super soft compounds for the second half of the race. He got out in clean air and was able to pass Maldonado later in the race to take sixth, some seven seconds behind Vettel.
Pastor Maldonado
With luck by his side and a strong car in his control, Pastor Maldonado shined at the Canadian Grand Prix, recording his second race finish and first points result of the season. After his Q3 appearance in Monaco, it was only about time we saw Maldonado put on a strong result for Lotus.The Venezuelan qualified just over a tenth behind his teammate in sixth place and unlike Grosjean, didn’t do anything silly in the race. He couldn’t fend off fast-charging Sebastian Vettel and Felipe Massa but finished in a respectable seventh place. The result elevates Lotus to fifth place in the constructors standings, ahead of Sauber and Force India.
Edited by Staff Editor