The Canadian Grand Prix became an exercise in damage limitation for Mark Webber after a gearbox change and subsequent grid penalty dropped him from second to seventh on the grid. He subsequently came home in fifth place.

"I've had better weekends," says Webber. "But you can't have blinding afternoons all the time and, as a team, we managed to limit the damage to McLaren at a track where they were expected to dominate.

"This is the first time I've finished off the podium since China, so I've had a good run and we're showing good consistency because I'm now the only guy on the grid who's finished every race of 2010 in the points."

The gearbox problem didn't hinder the Australian's pace during qualifying because he put together a superb lap on the harder compound tyre to line up second on the grid. But Red Bull subsequently found tiny particles of metal in his gearbox oil after the session and they changed the it as a precaution, thereby incurring a five-place grid penalty.

The penalty further complicated what was already going to be a difficult race for Webber due to the high levels of tyre degradation experienced at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Both rubber compounds struggled on the slippery asphalt and the result was the first two/three-stop race of the year.

"The tyres were a big issue all weekend," said Webber. "Both compounds struggled during Friday practice, when the track was incredibly green, and overnight rain cleaned the asphalt on Friday night so there wasn't the usual build-up of rubber.

"Sebastian and I opted to qualify on the harder compound because we thought it would give us a strategic advantage at the start of the race, when the cars were at their heaviest and tyre degradation at its most extreme. As it was, both compounds struggled once again in the race: grip levels were okay at the start of each stint, but the rubber grained very quickly."

Webber made a fantastic start to be fifth by the end of the opening lap and he moved up to fourth on lap five, when he overtook Jenson Button. But his progress was halted soon after because the tyres fell away quickly and he was forced to make his first pitstop for fresh primes on lap 13, which was earlier than planned.

He led the race for 22 laps in the middle stint, but he was eventually caught by Lewis Hamilton once his tyres again started to drop off. He pitted for the second and final time, this time for the softer rubber, on lap 50 of 70.

"I knew people were packed up behind Lewis," said the Australian, "so it wasn't a surprise when I emerged from my final pitstop in fifth place. I knew that the guys ahead of me weren't stopping again and I was too far behind to catch them up, so I stroked the car home for the last 20 laps."