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Montreal offers antidote for Hamilton

MONTREAL, Canada - Lewis Hamilton has the perfect opportunity to get back on the winning track via Sunday's 2015 Canadian Formula 1 GP after going astonishingly awry in Monaco.

Montreal is a favourite for the double Formula 1 champion, a fast track where he celebrated his first pole and victory in his stellar 2007 debut season with McLaren.

He's won twice more since then.

MOVING FORWARD

Hamilton said before heading to Montreal: "I think everything that needs to be said about Monaco has been said. It was a huge disappointment for me and the team but we'll learn from it and move forwards as we always do.

"I just want to get back out there and bounce back - and I could hardly ask for a better place to do that than Montreal. This is always one of my favourite weekends."

However Hamilton has also suffered disappointment at the Gilles Villeneuve circuit with its 300km/h blasts and the 'Wall of Champions' at the treacherous final turn - and he has yet to win there for Mercedes... though he has made the podium and his track record there eclipses that of team mate and title rival Nico Rosberg.

The stats all point to Hamilton: 3-0 on wins, 4-1 on podium appearances, 3-1 on poles and 6-1 on front-row starts,

AIMING HIGH

"The racing is fantastic, the city is a lot of fun and the crowds are really enthusiastic... and it's given me some great memories, including my first win," Hamilton said. "I know I've got the car under me and the team behind me to do it again so I'm aiming for nothing less."

Rosberg, who became only the fourth driver to win Monaco three times in a row after Mercedes blew a surefire victory for Hamilton by calling him in for a needless pit-stop while way in front, is not to be under-estimated however.

The German, now only 10 points behind his championship-leading team mate after six races, qualified on pole in Montreal in 2014 and is aiming for a hat-trick of wins.

NEW ENGINES

Each Mercedes driver has a new power units, having completed six race weekends on their previous ones. Rival Ferrari may have upgrades its units.

Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo, a first-time winner in Montreal in 2014, can only dream of such reliability but the race - traditionally hard on brakes and engines - can throw up surprises. The Australian is on his fourth and final penalty-free engine already with the team leaving Monaco thinking about taking the hit and using a fifth in Canada.

Ferrari, which has not won since 2004 at a circuit named after its now dead local hero, will be hoping four-times champion Sebastian Vettel can at least finish on the podium for the sixth time in seven races.

Williams is also confident of a much better showing after failing to score in Monaco; McLaren's Fernando Alonso wants to open his account for the season two weeks after Jenson Button did just that.

Stay with Wheels24 for the 2015 F1 season – fresh reports every day.

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