MONTREAL, June 9 (Reuters) – Reality hit hard for Valtteri Bottas at the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Just a day after he enhanced his reputation as one of the rising stars of Formula One by upstaging some of the biggest names in the sport to qualify third, he came back to Earth.

MONTREAL, June 9 (Reuters) – Fernando Alonso knows better than anyone there is no such thing as a safe lead in Formula One, either in races or the championship.

Last year, the Spaniard led the championship by 40 points with nine races to go. He had scored points in 23 consecutive races, a mark only Michael Schumacher had bettered, and seemed a sure thing to win his third title.

MONTREAL, June 9 (Reuters) – The Canadian Grand Prix has been a happy hunting ground for McLaren but Sunday’s race marked a low for the British Formula One team.

At the same Montreal street circuit where McLaren had produced four of the last five winners, there was only disappointment.

MONTREAL, June 9 (Reuters) – Lewis Hamilton achieved a Formula One career first by steering his Mercedes to third place in Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix, even if the podium was a bitter-sweet one for the Briton.

In his five previous visits to Montreal with McLaren, the 2008 champion had won three times and crashed twice.

MONTREAL (Reuters) – Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel won the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday and made amends for an uncharacteristic mistake that cost the Formula One world champion victory two years ago.

The 25-year-old German cruised to his first triumph in North America with a dominant performance to erase the disappointment of his last lap error in the 2011 race in Montreal.

MONTREAL, June 9 (Reuters) – Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel won the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday and made amends for an uncharacteristic mistake that cost the Formula One world champion victory two years ago.

The 25-year-old German cruised to his first triumph in North America with a dominant performance to erase the disappointment of his last lap error in the 2011 race in Montreal.

MONTREAL (Reuters) – Red Bull’s triple world champion Sebastian Vettel won the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday to capture his first Formula One victory on North American soil and extend his overall lead to 36 points.

The 25-year-old German cruised to his 29th career win without resistance, taking the chequered flag 14.4 seconds clear of Spain’s Fernando Alonso, driving a Ferrari.

MONTREAL, June 9 (Reuters) – Red Bull’s triple world champion Sebastian Vettel won the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday to capture his first Formula One victory on North American soil and extend his overall lead to 36 points.

The 25-year-old German cruised to his 29th career win without resistance, taking the chequered flag 14.4 seconds clear of Spain’s Fernando Alonso, driving a Ferrari.

MONTREAL (Reuters) – Valtteri Bottas enhanced his reputation as one of the rising stars of Formula One when he upstaged some of the biggest names in the sport on Saturday to qualify third fastest for the Canadian Grand Prix.

The 23-year-old from Finland showed maturity beyond his years when he guided his Williams to the second row of the grid in difficult, wet conditions.

MONTREAL (Reuters) – If there is a silver lining in every cloud, Lewis Hamilton found his on Saturday with the consolation of qualifying on the front row of the grid for the Canadian Grand Prix.

The Briton was furious with himself after making a tiny mistake on his final flying lap, which cost him his chance of grabbing pole position on a wet and wild day in Montreal.