2010 Canadian Grand Prix: Complete Success!

The return of Formula One racing on the Gilles Villeneuve circuit after a year of absence was highly welcomed by racing fans who felt like it happened a decade ago.

Starting from the pole for the third time in three appearances in Canada, Lewis Hamilton in his McLaren Mercedes has led the major part of the event and tagged his second victory in a row this season.

Incidently, this was a second victory in career for Hamilton at Ile Notre-Dame. With this string of good results, the British driver also took the lead in the drivers' championship.

The race itself was disputed at a wild pace as the safety car stayed parked in the pit lane for the whole lenght of the event. The track temperature reached 40 degrees and even the medium tyres suffered, forcing all the teams to add a pit stop to their plan very early in the race.

A lot of action all over the field and many overtakings ponctuated the race to the pleasure of the fans in attendance. Jenson Button placed his McLaren Mercedes in second place: a perfect weekend for the silver arrows. Ferrari's Fernando Alonso completed the podium as he fought well during the whole race.

A bit of a deception for both Red Bull cars as they were pushed outside the podium for a rare time this season. Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber respectively finished in fourth and fifth place.

Also in the notable section, both Force India cars driven by Vitantonio Liuzzi and Adrian Sutil placed in the points just in front of the great Michael Schumacher who fought with his car all weekend long to finish in 11th place.

The stands were packed to capacity and all the tickets available were sold. The event was a clear success. Perfect weather and a lot of festivities insures the success of this event in Montreal for years to come...

But is there any future for the Canadian Grand Prix beyond 2012?

As some of you might already know, the Formula One circus has scheduled a comeback in the United States for the 2012 season. With a brand new circuit in Arizona dedicated to Formula One, the calendar could eventually evict the Montreal event from the calendar and still be in contact with the American market.

I am really wondering this possibility and am praying that I am only hallucinating.

For the moment, let us celebrate the great event we just witnessed in Montreal and follow the continuation of this exciting season.

(Picture: Lewis Hamilton, Canadian Press.)