The Canadian Grand Prix ended in controversy and a pending Ferrari appeal after Sebastian Vettel crossed the finish line first, but the race was awarded to Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.

Vettel was given a five-second penalty by stewards after an incident on lap 48 when he buckled to pressure by Hamilton and ran onto a grass chicane, forcing the Mercedes driver to take evasive action.

It was deemed a dangerous re-entry and as stewards handed down the penalty Vettel stayed in front defending the lead.

Solidarity on the top step: Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton after the race. Photo: Getty

“I had nowhere to go. Seriously, I had nowhere to go,” fumed Vettel over team radio when told of the penalty. “They are stealing the race from us.

“No, no, no, no, no, no … Seriously, you need to be an absolute blind man to let him pass and not control your car – where am I supposed to go?

This is a wrong world, this is not fair.”

Vettel made his point again after the race, switching the No.1 winners sign from Hamilton’s car to his own vacant spot.

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“Not the way I wanted to win,” said Hamilton, after collecting his fifth win of the season and equalling Michael Schumacher’s Canadian record of seven victories at Montreal.

Hamilton was booed during the podium celebrations, but in a show of respect the Briton reached out to Vettel and ask him to join him on the top step.

Vettel’s teammate Charles Le Clerc was third and Valtteri Bottas was fourth in the other Mercedes.

Ricciardo’s Renault is getting better

Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo had his best result with Renault, a sixth place that prompted team principal Cyril Abiteboul to note their “recovery plan” was working after a poor start.

“The rest of the team executed everything impeccably giving us confidence back while also not forgetting errors made at the beginning of the season,” Abiteboul said in a team statement.

Daniel Ricciardo enjoyed being able to battle with the top three teams. Photo: Getty 

“We remain very concentrated and conscious of the work there is left to do.

“We’re moving forward to the French Grand Prix from tonight, as it marks the second stage of our recovery plan after the first one on the engine side.”

Ricciardo was also happy, despite not being able to hold onto the fourth place that he’d won in qualifying.

“I did all I could out there and I’m happy with the end result. It’s the team’s first double points of the year and it’s a big one in sixth and seventh, and we can’t ask for anything more than that,” he said.

“There are definitely positive signs this weekend. We know the top teams are superior at this stage, but still, it was a lot of fun to battle Valtteri [Bottas] for a few laps out there.

“We’re realistic in our approach, but the team should be proud of this weekend. They have that drive and determination to push on now and that’s really encouraging.”

-with AAP