Montreal: Sebastian Vettel offered one of Formula One's more exotic excuses on Sunday by saying he had lost time in the Canadian Grand Prix by saving two seagulls from being flattened by his Ferrari.

"I think it was a couple that wanted to commit suicide," the German said with a smile after finishing second to Mercedes' world champion Lewis Hamilton at a chilly Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

"They were at the apex of turn one. Lewis obviously didn't care so he made up quite a bit of time, about half a second, but I didn't do that couple that favour to say goodbye for good," the four times Formula One world champion told reporters.

"By the time Lewis came around, they just flew off. Wasn't fair. I brake for animals, Lewis doesn't ..."

The German, who had led the race until his first pitstop, continued the theme afterwards with some relish - hijacking Hamilton's interview with Britain's Sky Sports television for some more good-natured banter about birds.

"I feel that you're using the seagulls. I feel that they were innocent," said an amused Hamilton. "I saw you lock up and then the seagulls did move."

Getting more into the spirit, he added: "Hey man, it was planned. You know I'm good with animals, right? Like Doctor Dolittle, I told them to be there and they were there."

Vettel insisted he had a case, even if he then undermined it by stating: "I'm a racing driver, so I have to find some sort of excuse for why the hell you beat me today.

"I went into turn one and I saw this stupid couple of seagulls standing there, all relaxed," continued the German. "My car's red. It's easy to see, it doesn't blend in like yours. That's what really annoyed me. There's a red car coming and they stayed there."

The last word went to Hamilton, who celebrated the 45th win of his career and fifth in Canada.

"I think I might have to buy you a couple of seagulls," he said. "I think you need a couple."

Hamilton, earlier on Sunday, paid tribute to the late boxing great Muhammad Ali after cutting Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg's championship lead to nine points.

"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. That's for Muhammad Ali," the triple world champion said over the radio after taking the chequered flag at a cold Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

After parking up, Hamilton did an 'Ali shuffle' in another mark of respect for the former heavyweight champion whose funeral was on Friday.

"I was just floating out there, the car was really floating. The last 15 laps all I could do was think of him (Ali). The Rumble in the Jumble. Maybe he was watching the race. But RIP. This was for him," said Hamilton.

Hamilton would not have put money on his title fortunes turning around so quickly but the Mercedes driver could be back on top of the Formula One world championship as early as next weekend.

From being 43 points behind Rosberg two races ago, Hamilton heads for Azerbaijan and Sunday's inaugural Grand Prix in Baku trailing by nine.

"If I'd wanted to have put money down, I would never have tried to predict that," Hamilton told reporters when asked about the turnaround.

"I thought Monaco in terms of the difference in position might have been a one-off. It doesn't feel great when we don't finish one-two. On the flip side, it is a positive in terms of the points but Nico is going to continue to push and I will continue to push."