Canadian GP: A look back at Lewis Hamilton’s controversial battle with Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button’s win in the wet

From a controversial finish between Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel in 2019, to Jenson Button’s dramatic rain-soaked victory in 2011, the Canadian GP has seen it all; the 2022 Canadian GP gets under way on Friday, with coverage on Sky Sports F1 at 6.30pm

As Formula One returns to Canada for the first time since Lewis Hamilton’s record-equalling victory in 2019, we take a look back at that race and Jenson Button’s dramatic win at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in 2011.

The first Canadian Grand Prix for three years arrives at a crucial moment in the F1 season as Ferrari look to bounce back following a disastrous weekend in Azerbaijan.

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz retired from the race with engine failures, allowing Max Verstappen to lead Sergio Perez to a Red Bull one-two, extending leads at the top of the drivers’ and constructors’ championships.

It is not the first time the Canadian GP has come along at a vital period in a title battle, with the 2019 GP having seen a race-long contest between Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel as they fought an intense championship duel.

After Vettel had taken pole and retained his lead at the start, the tense encounter reached its climax on lap 48 as the German ran off track at the turn-three chicane before re-joining and squeezing Hamilton.

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We look back at the controversial 2019 Canadian GP, where Sebastian Vettel was penalised for blocking Lewis Hamilton and missing out on victory

Although Vettel saw the chequered flag before the Mercedes man, a five-second time penalty for the incident saw him drop to second place after the race had ended.

The result gave Hamilton a record-equalling win, joining Michael Schumacher on seven victories in Montreal and increasing his lead in a championship race which he ultimately won.

While the scenes on track were dramatic, those that followed were perhaps more iconic, as Vettel switched the first and second place signs from in front of his and Hamilton’s cars.

Vettel was left fuming after the 2019 Canadian GP

Despite his clear anger, when some spectators booed Hamilton during the post-race interviews, Vettel urged them to stop and said any booing should be directed at “funny decisions”.

It is worth noting that Leclerc, then in his first season at Ferrari, finished behind Hamilton and Vettel to take third.

Button comes from last to win in the rain

The 2011 Canadian GP was a memorable one for Jenson Button, as he worked his way from last place on the grid to win on the final lap of the race.

It was a race that had everything as Button produced one of the most spectacular victories of his career.

The 2009 world champion dropped back from seventh after a collision with team-mate Hamilton, before serving a time penalty for speeding under the safety car.

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Jenson Button talks us through his dramatic 2011 victory at a rain-soaked Canadian GP where he came from the back to win on the last lap

A further collision with Fernando Alonso then saw him at the back of the field with less than half of the race remaining.

Despite that, an impeccably-timed tyre change – and some hugely-skilled driving on a drying track – saw him rise to second place with five laps to go.

Vettel, at Red Bull earlier in his career, was once more the driver to lose out, as he ran wide on the final lap to give Button a victory which defied all imagination.

Button will be in Montreal this weekend as part of the Sky Sports F1 team, and will no doubt share some recollections from his unforgettable victory.

The Canadian GP gets under way on Friday, with coverage on Sky Sports F1 from 6.30pm.