Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo secured his maiden Formula 1 victory at a thrilling Canadian Grand Prix, and became the first non-Mercedes driver to win this season.
Once again the two Mercedes of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton started from the front row of the grid but both were hit by performance problems midway through the race. And while the German drove heroically to finish in second place ahead of Sebastian Vettel, Hamilton also suffered brake failure and was forced to retire for the second time this season.
The race came to a spectacular conclusion as Felipe Massa and Sergio Perez were involved in a huge crash on the final lap, as a late surge from Jenson Button propelled the McLaren driver to fourth.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Latest Videos FromThe Week
Things appeared to be following the script in the early stages of the race with the two Mercedes cars leading. But as Rosberg and Hamilton jousted for the lead, both suddenly lost power.
The German team has had things their way all season but was "engulfed by near-panic" as the problems bit, says Kevin Eason in The Times. "Mercedes executives had faces the colour of seasick landlubbers as they watched both cars turn from paragons of technology to jittery bangers."
It was a "desperately disappointing" day for Hamilton, says Paul Weaver of The Guardian. "After all the problems in the last race in Monaco, where Hamilton felt he was denied pole position by Rosberg’s gamesmanship, this was a cruel and devastating psychological blow on the track where the British driver has enjoyed so much success."
He describes the result as a "disaster" for the British driver.
As for Rosberg, he was the "real winner" in Canada after almost pulling off "the greatest save since Gordon Banks in 1970 to finish second", says Daniel Johnson in the Daily Telegraph. Despite battling power problems for more than 20 laps he held the lead until the 68th lap and now leads the drivers championship by 22 points.
But it was Ricciardo who ended the day with "a smile as wide as the Great Barrier Reef" after claiming his first victory and ending Mercedes's early season domination of F1.
"Red Bull and Ricciardo were ecstatic. Rosberg was quietly delighted, while Hamilton needed a stiff drink to mull over the disappointment. Everyone else watching needed a lie down," concludes the Telegraph.
