Lewis Hamilton celebrates on the podium after winning the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Sunday in Montreal, Canada. Photo: VCG

Lewis Hamilton maintained Mercedes' record winning start to a season on Sunday when he was handed a controversial victory, courtesy of a disputed stewards' decision to penalize Sebastian Vettel, at the Canadian Grand Prix.

The defending five-time world champion overall leader came home second on the track behind Vettel of Ferrari, but was declared the winner because 

of a 5-second penalty for a racing infringement by the ­German.

Vettel ran off and rejoined across a strip of grass on Lap 50, forcing a charging Hamilton off-track toward a wall. The Briton braked to withdraw from his challenge to take the lead, prompting a race stewards' inquiry, which resulted in the time penalty.

"Where could I go?" protested Vettel. "They're stealing the race from us."

"No, no, no, not like that," he repeated on his slow-down lap as Hamilton celebrated. "If there wasn't a wall, I would have gone past him," said the German.

In a bizarre sequence, Vettel at first refused to attend the post-race interviews and stormed away to the Ferrari motor home before, after persuasion by the Italian team, he returned for the podium ceremonies. 

As he did so, however, he walked to the parc ferme and moved the numbers used to mark the finishing order - shifting the number one to the blank space for his car, two for Hamilton's Mercedes and three for Charles Leclerc.

When the pro-Ferrari crowd booed Hamilton, Vettel told them to stop. "Don't boo Lewis - you should boo these decisions, not him," he said.

Vettel was wishing he could have raced in the days when drivers decided the winner not regulations.

"I was just thinking I really love my racing, I'm a purist going back and looking at the old times, the old cars, the old drivers," said Vettel.

"I just wish I was maybe as good as I am doing what I do but doing it in their time rather than today."

While angry over the decision, Vettel said his greater concern was the penalty was only a symptom of a bigger problem facing F1 - over regulation.

Vettel vigorously defended his move saying, "the priority at that point is just to survive," and common sense dictated the outcome while stewards viewed it as simply a black and white situation with no grey area.

"I rejoined the track and Lewis had to react," said Vettel. "For me that's racing.

"A lot of the people I just mentioned, the old F1 drivers and people in the grandstands, would agree this is just part of racing but nowadays I don't like it.

"We all sound a bit like lawyers.

"Ultimately it is not the sport I fell in love with."

It was Hamilton's record ­seventh victory in Canada, and the 78th of his career, and extended Mercedes' season-­opening run to seven successive wins.

Vettel ended up classified second ahead of his Ferrari teammate Leclerc, fourth-placed Valtteri Bottas in the second Mercedes, Max Verstappen of Red Bull and Daniel Ricciardo of Renault.