Max Verstappen claimed another victory at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal on Sunday, after a race that was exceptionally rich in overtaking and twists and turns.
The Red Bull driver and championship leader took the chequered flag ahead of Britons Lando Norris, in a McLaren, and George Russell, in a Mercedes.
Starting from second place on the grid, the Dutchman dropped back to third place, before returning to second and then taking the lead of the race, thanks to overtaking, numerous pit stops forced by the changeable weather and racing incidents which led to the safety car being brought out, as is often the case in Montreal.
“It was a crazy race,” said Verstappen, all smiles. “I loved it. I had a lot of fun. It’s the kind of race you need every now and then.”
The win comes as talk of a decline in Red Bull’s dominance over the past month began to surface, following a second-place finish in Miami last month and an unusual sixth-place finish in Monaco two weeks ago. The Red Bull driver thus becomes the third driver to win three consecutive races at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Île Notre-Dame since 1978, after Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher.
Lando Norris started from third place and managed to climb to the front of the field and build up a comfortable lead in the first third of the race. However, his team’s decision not to take him off track immediately for a tyre change during a safety car intervention would eventually cost him places and force him to attack again. “We made the wrong decision. We should have won this race,” he said after a race he described as “chaotic”, “full of twists and turns”, “stressful, but a lot of fun”.
Taking top spot at the start for the first time in almost two years, George Russell also ran the gamut of emotions, claiming his team’s first podium of the season by overtaking fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri and his own team-mate Lewis Hamilton in the closing stages of the race in what he described as a “hard and fair fight”.
“It was a missed opportunity. Our cars were fast this weekend. I made a few mistakes testing the limits. But we got back into the fight for wins. That’s really what Formula 1 racing should be about.”
Mr. Weatherman
Many fans were hoping for rain this weekend to inject some drama and uncertainty into a championship where race results often seem a foregone conclusion as some teams, notably Red Bull, dominate the rest of the field.
They were granted their wish, as the 43rd Canadian Grand Prix to be held on Île Notre-Dame was not spoiled by the weather. The first free practice sessions were held under heavy rain and even hail on Friday. The weather was a little less atrocious the next day, with qualifying largely avoiding rain. Sunday’s race was held under a mixture of rain and sun, forcing the teams to constantly adapt to changing track conditions, and the tens of thousands of spectators to constantly put on and take off their raincoats.
This track, which has been seen to get wet and dry repeatedly, ultimately worked out well for Mercedes and McLaren, with both teams earning 28 points in the constructors’ championship, with Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Piastri finishing 4th and 5th respectively .
The Aston Martins (+14 points) also did relatively well, with local driver Lance Stroll taking his car from 9th to 7th place , while his teammate Fernando Alonso completed the 70 laps and 305 km in the same place he started from, i.e. in 6th position .
Paradoxically, the Red Bulls were not so successful, with Max Verstappen being the only driver to score points (+25 points). Mexican Sergio Perez, who could not do better than 16th in qualifying, was forced to retire after going off the track.
But it is at Ferrari that we will be most happy to forget this weekend. First and third in Monaco, two weeks ago, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were both forced to retire, one due to a mechanical problem and the other due to a driving error.
Max Verstappen has thus widened his lead among the drivers with 194 points and seven podiums, including six victories in nine races, ahead of Charles Leclerc (138 points), Lando Norris (131 points), Carlos Sainz (108 points) and Sergio Pérez (107 points). Lance Stroll comes in 11th place with 17 points. Red Bull leads the constructors’ championship with 301 points, ahead of Ferrari (252 points), McLaren (212 points), Mercedes (124 points) and Aston Martin (58 points).
As soon as the race was over, the teams began dismantling and packing up their garages, offices and reception areas in preparation for the 10th and next round of the 24-race championship, which is due to be held in Barcelona, Spain, in two weeks.
