Looking beyond the points finishes of the Canadian Grand Prix, it seems like there were some clear winners and losers on the day.
The big winner? Sebastien Buemi, who before the race had been told by his team that he needed to step up his game. And step it up he did, grabbing four points with his eighth-place finish.
Also a big winner is Vitantonio Liuzzi, who has been falling steadily behind team mate Adrian Sutil. With a new (old) chassis, Liuzzi finished ahead of Sutil in ninth place.
The day’s big loser? As much as it pains me to say, I think it was Felipe Massa. Having just signed a two-year extension at Ferrari, Massa was supposed to be relaxed and ready to race. Beginning with his first turn meet-up with Liuzzi, Massa’s race never came together. He finished 15th and got a 20-second penalty for speeding in the pitlane to boot.
Also a loser? Michael Schumacher seemed to be all over the track, fighting it out with front-runners and back-markers alike. And it seemed like a bunch of those drivers got by the seven-time champ. And over the last few turns, Sutil edged him out for the final points spot. We all are still waiting to see the Schumacher of old, not the old Schumacher.
On our U.S. Fox Sports broadcast, a ton was made of the fact that Schumacher was lapped by the leaders, as well. Ouch.
Vitaly Petrov may also have been a bit of loser, making what I thought was the absolute worst move of the weekend, and among the worst of the season, when he went on the grass in the opening seconds (after jumping the start, too). A big step back when we all were looking for another step forward from the rookie Russian.
Those are my thoughts. How about yours? Your View: Who were the winners and losers from Canada?
