Picture this: rain, semi-dry patches, more rain, and then suddenly, clear skies – all within 70 laps at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. It was chaos, it was thrilling, it was the Canadian Grand Prix at its finest.
And who emerged victorious from this weather roulette? None other than the reigning champ himself. But while Verstappen claimed the top spot, other teams had their own reasons to pop the champagne.
Top of the class:
Max Verstappen — Qualifying: 2nd | Race: 1st
Verstappen matched Russell’s qualifying time to the millisecond, but since he set it second, he had to settle for a spot next to the Brit on the front row. Still, a strong showing, although it hints that the other teams might be catching up to Red Bull Racing’s pace, while they wrestle with the car to get it just right.
He tailed Russell for much of the first part of the race and, as a dry line formed, seemed to be building up for a pass to take the lead. But a mistake at Turn 1 cost him three seconds, dropping him into Lando Norris’s clutches. A rare slip-up from the usually ice-cool Verstappen.
While the Safety Car worked against him in Miami, it played in his favour in Canada. This time, it was rival Lando Norris who lost a chunk of time and the lead, much to the delight of Verstappen’s race engineer, GP. Verstappen took the opportunity to pit for a new set of intermediates during the first Safety Car period, seizing the lead as Norris had to endure another lap behind the Safety Car before swapping tyres.
When the track dried up, Verstappen aced the second Safety Car restart, showing everyone why he’s the reigning champ. This win marked Verstappen’s 60th career victory and 50th in the last 75 races – an insane statistic. With Charles Leclerc not scoring, the Dutchman almost doubled his lead in the drivers’ standings to a whopping 56 points. Not bad for a day’s work!
Lando Norris — Qualifying: 3rd | Race: 2nd
Lando Norris had a bittersweet weekend, narrowly missing out on pole by just 0.021s to start third – McLaren’s best start on Canadian soil since 2012. So close, yet so far, but the 24-year-old wasn’t about to let that dampen his spirits.
On intermediate tyres, Norris was in a class of his own, lapping up to two seconds quicker than the rest of the pack to take P1 and build a sizeable lead. But then the Safety Car had to crash the party. Still, Norris knows the game and didn’t let it get him down.
The Brit then fought back brilliantly to secure second place. Fun fact, he’s the only driver to have scored in every Grand Prix so far this season. Clearly, he’s not someone to overlook.
Mercedes
George Russell — Qualifying: 1st | Race: 3rd
Lewis Hamilton — Qualifying: 7th | Race: 4th (+FL)
George Russell snagged pole and led a good chunk of the race only to finish third, which perhaps is not what he was hoping for, but let’s not rush to put the Briton or his team on the struggle bus just yet. Still, outperforming his more decorated teammate Lewis Hamilton is no small feat and shouldn’t go unnoticed.
Hamilton, starting from P7, fought his way up to finish fourth, while Russell secured third and nabbed the fastest lap. This three-four finish netted Mercedes 28 points, marking their strongest showing of the season.
Honourable mention of the day goes to Haas
Alright, Haas’ strategy gamble didn’t quite pay off, but you’ve got to hand it to them for having the guts to try something different. Going against the grain and putting both drivers on wet tyres instead of intermediates certainly got everyone’s attention, and at first, it seemed to wield the results they were hoping for.
Kevin Magnussen ran in fourth at one point, having rocketed up ten places in the opening phase. It certainly was a sight to behold. Teammate Nico Hulkenberg also fought his way into the top ten, showing some serious tenacity.
Sure, they fumbled the bag with a painfully slow pit stop that sent KMAG tumbling down the order, and Hulkenberg couldn’t quite make the strategy work in the end either. But they dared to dream big. Had the weather gods mixed their cocktail just a bit differently, it might have been the most brilliant call of the season. We applaud them for not playing it safe.
The struggle bus:
Ferrari
Charles Leclerc — Qualifying: 11th | Race: DNF
Carlos Sainz — Qualifying: 12th | Race: DNF
From the mighty highs of Monaco to the Montreal misery, Ferrari’s rollercoaster season took a nosedive. The last race’s winners were MIA in Canada.
The SF-24 seemed allergic to the ideal setup all weekend. Leclerc and Sainz couldn’t get the tyres working in qualifying, resulting in embarrassing Q2 exits though this wasn’t helped by the team opting for used tyres. Race day brought more woes: Leclerc’s power unit decided it had better things to do, and an ill-timed switch to slicks left him a lap down before he finally threw in the towel.
Sainz, on the other hand, managed a brief stint in the points – which meant he was battling Williams and Alpines rather than playing with the big boys. Then, a spin and contact with Albon sealed his fate with a DNF.
Weekends like this one need to be erased from Ferrari’s playbook if they want to be considered serious title contenders. Right now, they’re looking more like title pretenders.
Williams
Alex Albon — Qualifying: 10th | Race: DNF
Logan Sargeant — Qualifying: 13th | Race: DNF
Williams’ weekend was one to forget. Logan Sargeant first dropped to the back of the field with a costly off-road adventure and then spectacularly lost the rear in tricky conditions, bringing out the Safety Car by planting his car into the barriers. It’s more proof that Sargeant’s F1 career is hanging by a thread – and honestly, he’ll be lucky to finish the season at this rate.
Albon, on the other hand, was actually in the mix for some points. But his luck ran out when Sainz’s spinning Ferrari got in his way. Sending Albon into the wall and out of the race. At least he can reminisce over a spectacular double overtake on Ocon and Ricciardo after the first Safety Car restart.
Sergio Pérez — Qualifying: 16th | Race: DNF
Sergio oh Sergio. You’d think with a fresh contract in hand, he’d be out there proving his worth. Instead, he gave us another masterclass in disappointment. Knocked out in Q1? Seriously? That’s a tough pill to swallow, especially when your car could’ve been on pole (or near enough).
His race day didn’t get any better. A collision with Gasly at the start left him with damage, and from there, it was just a downward spiral. Then, to top it all off, a spin at Turn 6 left him with a damaged rear wing.
Red Bull’s attempt to assist Verstappen by coaxing Pérez back to the pits was well-intentioned. However, it backfired spectacularly, resulting in a hefty fine for the team. Additionally, Checo faced the consequence of a three-place grid drop for the upcoming race in Spain, as driving a car in such a manner was deemed unsafe.
Dishonourable mention of the day goes to the team orders at Alpine.
Alpine’s use of team orders at the end of the race left a sour taste in my mouth. While I’m not usually a fan of team orders, even I know that it’s common courtesy to reverse them if they don’t lead to the desired outcome.
However, Alpine seemed oblivious to this practice, or perhaps they were eager to make a point following the announcement of his departure from the team after this season.
Ocon’s remarkable drive from the back of the grid to a points-scoring position perhaps would have earned him an honourable mention. But it was overshadowed by the controversy surrounding team orders. With only a few laps remaining, Ocon was instructed to let Pierre Gasly pass in an attempt to challenge Daniel Ricciardo ahead. However, despite Ocon’s efforts, he was denied the opportunity to reclaim his position.
After a weekend’s rest where everyone gets a chance to dry off from both rain and champagne showers, the F1 circus gears up for a relentless triple-header back on European soil. First up: the Spanish Grand Prix. Mark your calendars for Sunday, June 23rd, and be ready to catch the action as the lights go out at 2 PM UK time.
