F1: Hamilton Leads Championship After Montreal Win, Second Gearbox Problem For Red Bull

Lewis Hamilton has taken the lead of the 2010 world championship after a second consecutive victory.

After winning in Turkey in the wake of the Red Bull crash, the McLaren driver on Sunday won convincingly at the end of an exciting and close race on Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

The pole sitter beat his teammate Jenson Button across the line ahead of the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso, with former championship leader Mark Webber just fifth, behind the sister Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel.

Hamilton admitted that Red Bull's RB6 is probably still the quickest at more conventional circuits.

"We are doing everything we can to close gap to them," he said.

It means Hamilton now leads the championship by three points from Button, with McLaren also ahead of Red Bull for the constructors' title.

(GMM)

Second Gearbox Problem For Red Bull

Red Bull suffered two gearbox problems in Canada on Sunday.

With McLaren now leading both the drivers' and constructors' championships with victory at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, it has emerged that Sebastian Vettel struggled to the chequered flag with a gearbox problem.

His Red Bull teammate Mark Webber, who finished behind Vettel in fifth place, earlier lost his front row starting place due to an unscheduled gearbox change penalty.

In the wake of recent suggestions the Milton Keynes-based team will walk the 2010 season with a superior car, the Canadian result - featuring a McLaren one-two - could be a turning point.

"I had a gearbox problem from around halfway through the race, which meant I had to slow down," German Vettel said.

However, race winner and new championship leader Lewis Hamilton has acknowledged that despite the Montreal result, the RB6 is still the superior car on more conventional circuits.

"There is no reason to panic from our side," Vettel confirmed, "we have a very good car and we're looking ahead to Valencia."

(GMM)

Branson Wants Second US GP In Las Vegas

Sir Richard Branson would like to see a United States Grand Prix held in Las Vegas.

The British billionaire, sponsor of Virgin Racing, said he welcomes the news that an American race has been scheduled for Texas in 2012.

"The US market is extremely important," the Virgin mogul told La Presse newspaper at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

"We have a cell phone company here in Canada, our airline will fly to Toronto soon and we will invest in the Canadian investment community.

"But we must also go to the United States," Branson insisted. "I think the best places would be San Francisco, or the streets of Las Vegas."

When told that F1 is planning to be in Texas in a couple of years, he answered: "Texas? Yeah, ok, but I would still go to Vegas. Imagine the cars on the Strip," he said.

(GMM)