PARTY TIME

In the paddock it was time for a fond celebration for Tsutomu Tomita, who leaves his role as Panasonic Toyota Racing team principal this month to take up a new post as Chairman of the Fuji International Speedway. Fuji will host the Japanese Grand Prix this year for the first time in 30 years.

Tomita San joined Toyota in 1969 as an engine development engineer and has been in charge of Toyota's racing activities since 1987. He was promoted to the board of directors in 1996 and in 2003 relocated to Panasonic Toyota racing's Cologne base to take direct control of the F1 programme together with John Howett.

With Canada being his last race, the team presented him with a special cake and a flag signed by all the members of the race team, who wished him well in his new position. After the race Tomita said: "The point is a good leaving present for me and I wish the team all the best and good luck for the future. See you at the Fuji International Speedway!"

NEWS FROM OUR RIVALS

The Paddock's chief concern post-race was the condition of Robert Kubica. BMW Sauber team principal Dr Mario Theissen said: "I was at the medical centre during the race and at that point Robert had been already deployed to the hospital. The circuit doctor told me he had not found any major injuries, there were no internal problems, he could move his arms and legs and speak coherently but he would undergo a full assessment in hospital in Montreal."

Lewis Hamilton's first win and amazing run of podium finishes took him into the undisputed lead of the world championship for the first time. The Briton left Canada with 48 points, eight more than team mate Fernando Alonso, and 15 clear of Ferrari's closest challenger, Felipe Massa. In the constructors' championship, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes leads Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro by 88 points to 60 with Panasonic Toyota racing currently in sixth place.

RACE REPORT

Panasonic Toyota Racing salvaged a point with eighth place from Ralf Schumacher after a difficult and incident packed Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, round 6 of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

The race featured no fewer than four Safety car periods, the most serious after an accident to Robert Kubica. Initial reports from the circuit said that Kubica had a sore leg but was conscious and stable and would undergo a full assessment at a Montreal hospital.

Kubica had been battling with Jarno and, after the race, a shocked Trulli said: "I was struggling for grip early on. We had the Safety car and Robert was quicker than me. I kept my line and the last time I saw him in my mirrors he was on my left. Then I just got hit at the back and I have no idea what happened. I just saw the medical car out for a long period and I was concerned for him so I'm relieved to hear he is okay.

"Then I had a flat rear tyre, maybe because of the accident with Robert and maybe because of going through debris. At one stage I'd been battling for points but near the end I was called in for my final stop, which meant that my race was over. I pitted, lost concentration and went straight into the wall. It was a difficult race and I'm really glad it's over. After a day like this the racing doesn't matter."

The weekend started awkwardly for Toyota when Jarno suffered two suspension failures in free practice on Friday. After the first, the team was forced to call in Ralf while they made investigations but they then made some set-up alterations to solve the problem.

Avoiding the kerb cost a couple of tenths of a second in lap time and, in the circumstances, Jarno did a fine job to qualify the car 10th fastest. Ralf, by contrast, failed to make it out of the first qualifying session for the second successive race. A red-flag in the first qualifying session caused a high density of traffic and Ralf was unable to find a clear lap.

It all meant that Ralf started back in 18th position, which didn't reflect his potential. He pushed hard in the race and took full advantage of the drama-filled race to bring home a point.

"I must admit I didn't go into the race expecting a point!" he said. "Given my grid position we fuelled up the car for a long first stint and I made up a lot of places, although I was short of straightline speed, which was making it tough for me into the final chicane."

Canada brought a first Grand Prix win for rookie sensation Lewis Hamilton, who took pole position and led from start to finish for McLaren Mercedes. Nick Heidfeld, who qualified a strong third for BMW Sauber, turned that into runner-up spot in the race, with Alexander Wurz taking advantage of a one-stop strategy to score the first Williams podium for two years.

The F1 teams now head straight to Indianapolis for the second of the North American double-header races next weekend.