(BBC) – Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel dominated the Canadian Grand Prix to retake the championship lead as Lewis Hamilton could finish only fifth for Mercedes.

Vettel converted pole position into a lead at the first corner and was never headed as he kept Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas at arm’s length throughout the race.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took third after a valiant but unsuccessful attempt to pass Bottas through the first two corners.

Hamilton started fourth but dropped back to finish fifth and is a point behind Vettel a third of the way through the season.

In a bizarre end, the chequered flag was waved a lap too early by model Winnie Harlow, only for Vettel to say over team radio: “Tell them not to wave the flag when it’s not done.”

He continued on his way to take it again after the correct 70 laps, however the race was declared at 68 laps, based on the official count back rules, as a result of the mistake.

World champion Hamilton was struggling with engine temperatures in the first part of the race, which forced Mercedes into an earlier than planned pit stop for fresh tyres so they could add more cooling to the car.

It meant the Briton lost a place to Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo at his stop, and Hamilton had a nervy moment when Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen emerged alongside him after his much later stop.

Hamilton managed to fend the Finn off, and even pulled away despite having tyres 16 laps older than Raikkonen’s.

Vettel had failed to convert his previous two pole positions, in Azerbaijan and China, into wins. Ferrari were out-foxed on strategy in Shanghai and Vettel made an error in Baku, but there was never any danger of that happening in Montreal.

The German made a strong start and, as Bottas was left to fend off Verstappen’s attack, the Ferrari started to sprint clear, only for the race to be put under a safety car following a huge crash between Toro Rosso’s Brendon Hartley and Williams’ Lance Stroll.

Hartley was making a move on Stroll through the flat-out Turn Five. The Canadian edged him wide and the Williams started to slide, collecting Hartley and forcing the Toro Rosso into the barriers.

It leapt in the air, half-mounted Stroll’s Williams, and the two careered together into the run-off area.

Stroll was unhurt but Hartley, who was seen walking back to the pits, was sent to hospital for a scan, returning to the circuit after the race following a normal ECG result.