Max Verstappen MISSES Canadian GP Grand Slam as Fernando Alonso beats Lewis Hamilton for second

Verstappen aan de leiding in Canada — Photo: © LAT Images

Canadian Grand Prix

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Verstappen MISSES Canadian GP Grand Slam as Alonso beats Hamilton for second

The reigning champion's gap to his competitors was smaller than some expected

Chris Deeley

Sunday 18 June 2023 21:44 Updated: 01:15

Max Verstappen won the Canadian Grand Prix from pole position on Sunday evening, once again leading from post to post in a dominant performance – but his run of 'grand slams' ended as Sergio Perez took the bonus point for the fastest lap.

The Dutchman's lead over the rest of the field wasn't as dramatic as it has been in previous races this season. Fernando Alonso finished second less than 10 seconds behind, with Lewis Hamilton less than five seconds behind the Spaniard.

Hamilton actually got ahead of Alonso off the grid, but spent a long time chasing down the Spaniard after the Aston Martin man overtook him with more than 45 laps remaining in the race – after a tight moment in the pits.

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Alonso was employing a lift-and-coast strategy for much of the second half of the race due to some rear brake issues, allowing Hamilton to close to within two seconds of him before he stretched his advantage out to relative safety.

Best of the rest

Perez struggled from the middle of the pack once again, clearing the 'lesser' cars when he stayed out during the safety car period which started on the 13th lap but failing to close up on the fourth and fifth placed Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc on raw pace.

The early safety car changed the strategic planning for the race, leaving many of the midfield runners on unexpected strategies – including both Ferraris, who had started in the middle of the grid and leapfrogged a number of runners by staying out while many pitted.

That safety car was caused by George Russell hitting the wall hard after just 13 laps, damaging both the front and back of his car and leaving debris all over the track.

Russell managed to limp back to the pits with a broken rear wheel, somehow avoiding immediate race-ending damage. After being sent back out he continued to push his way back through the field, but retired from eighth place with 15 laps to go when it became clear his brakes weren't cooling sufficiently, likely due to lingering damage.

DRS day

Many of the midfield battles in the race resulted in so-called DRS trains, with Alex Albon dragging around a tail of drivers in close proximity for several laps without any overtaking.

Albon's team-mate Logan Sargeant was the other retiree from the race, his car packing up after just seven laps and necessitating a brief virtual safety car period.

Nico Hulkenberg's high grid position didn't translate to a points finish, both Haas drivers having a torrid time to finish 15th and 17th respectively.