Starting from pole position, Hamilton safely negotiated the opening turns and proved rapid on the super-soft tyres during the opening stint, a definitive push that would ultimately set the tone for the remainder of the race.
As such, save for a period of fuel saving after his sole pit-stop, which allowed Nico Rosberg to steadily eat into his advantage during the second-half of the race, he was never quite in position to mount a challenge.
Indeed, given the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve’s reputation for eventful races and for being a car breaker, this year’s event proved a relatively low key affair, Mercedes taking advantage of its raw speed advantage over its rivals to spend much of the race managing fuel and brakes to avoid the pit-falls of last year.
As a result, Hamilton and Rosberg would spend much of the race in formation, the gap between the two never swelling to more than 2.5secs, but never rescinding to less than a second.
Desite this, Rosberg’s attempts to get into position to put pressure on Hamilton – or at least into the DRS zone – would fall agonisingly short, the title chaser eventually opting to protect the car in the very final laps, finishing 2.2secs behind.
Another comprehensive 1-2 result for the Mercedes team, the result sees Hamilton put a further 7 points between himself and his team-mate, their pair now split by 17 points after seven races.
With the only driver considered capable of challenging Mercedes on speed alone – Sebastian Vettel – starting at the back of the grid, the fight for the remaining podium spot came down to Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas, with the former holding position early on.
However, a bizarre low speed spin on the exit of the turn ten hairpin just after his pit-stop would hand the advantage to Bottas, even when Ferrari attempted to get its driver back into the fight with a two-stop strategy.
As such, Bottas was left to complete his and Williams’ first podium finish of the 2015 season, a result that also consolidates his fifth place in the overall standings.
Charging up the order after his penalties and problems in qualifying, Vettel provided the race’s unusually scant entertainment with some measured overtakes, the German surviving an aggressive rebuff by Fernando Alonso and a close shave with Nico Hulkenberg – which prompted the Force India to spin – at the final corner chicane to grab a fine fifth place finish.
Similarly, Felipe Massa produced an eye-catching performance in the other Williams with some excellent overtakes en route to sixth place from 15th on the grid.
The Brazilian might have faced competition for the spot from Lotus’ Romain Grosjean had he not ruined his own race by clipping Will Stevens as he attempted to lap him, the Frenchman cutting across too sharply to get a left-rear puncture on the Manor’s front-wing. He would eventually recover to 10th place having also been handed a five-place time penalty which didn’t affect his final position.
As such, it was Pastor Maldonado that would fly the flag for Lotus with an unruffled drive to seventh position, his first points of the 2015 season and his best result since the 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Despite his spin, which occurred when he was caught out by Vettel passing on the outside of the final chicane, Hulkenberg got going again to salvage eighth place in the Force India, well ahead of Daniil Kvyat, who saved face for Red Bull on an otherwise disastrous day for last year’s race winners.
Indeed, though the Russian made the best of his package, 2014 winner Daniel Ricciardo fought a rear-guard action throughout the race, slipping back to finish a lowly 13th, behind Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz.
Still, Red Bull enjoyed a slightly more fruitful race than McLaren, whose dismal race pace – characterised by calls to save fuel after just 17 laps – ended with both Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button retiring with more technical issues, the pair making their views clear over the team radio as frustration increasingly sets in.