Verstappen's championship to lose as Hamilton roars back - What we learned at the Canadian GP
Verstappen's championship to lose as Hamilton roars back - What we learned at the Canadian GP
Max Verstappen took a thrilling victory at the Canadian Grand Prix after holding off a late charge from Carlos Sainz in Montréal.
The reigning F1 world champion extended his lead at the top of the championship to 46 points over team-mate Sergio Perez, who retired early on at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
After Charles Leclerc fought his way through the pack from the back of the grid, what did we learn in Canada?
Verstappen's championship to lose
The Dutchman appeared to be enjoying a comfortable afternoon for the majority of the 70 laps despite higher-than-expected tyre degradation forcing him to pit for a second time and chase down Sainz.
But a late safety car threw up 15 laps of drama as the Spaniard, who had used the disruption to pit again himself, hounded Verstappen in search of a maiden F1 victory, all to no avail.
The Red Bull simply had too much pace despite the efforts of Sainz, and with Verstappen notching up the team's sixth victory in a row, it is hard to see light at the end of the tunnel for Ferrari.
The gap at the top of the championship is so vast that Verstappen is just four points shy of being able to afford two retirements and still remain at the top of the table.
There is a long way to go in this championship yet - 13 races - but it is starting to feel like Verstappen's to lose.
Sainz finally steps up
Sainz would have known early in the weekend that with team-mate Leclerc out of the equation through a power unit penalty, Ferrari's hopes would rest firmly on his shoulders.
What he lacked with wheelspin out of the final chicane in qualifying - an error that cost a front-row spot - Sainz made up for with immaculate pace in the race that only fell just short in his attempts to pass Verstappen.
It is a welcome confidence boost for the Spaniard given his trials and tribulations in the early part of the season, often being outperformed by Leclerc as he struggled with the F1-75 - incidents in Australia and Imola not helping his cause.
Canada could mark a turning point for Sainz and after showing what he is capable of in the second half of last season, Ferrari's driver pairing could yet prove capable of taking the fight to Red Bull.
Hamilton of old back with a bang
Who expected to be around when Lewis Hamilton was celebrating a third-place finish?
The Briton put recent woes behind him to take what turned out to be a fairly comfortable, lonely podium, even after the late safety car.
Hamilton had complained about his Mercedes W13 in practice on Friday having experimented with set-ups as the team chases fixes to its lack of pace and its bouncing issues.
But after qualifying fourth in a mixed-up session, Hamilton was never troubled around a circuit at which he has typically excelled, although one that, perhaps, doesn't suit his current machinery.
It was great to see the chirpy, bright demeanour back after the race and now the seven-time champion will be hoping for another step forward when arriving at Silverstone in two weeks' time.
Alonso rolls back years
Let's forget the race for the moment after engine gremlins halted Fernando Alonso's charge.
The Spaniard was sublime in qualifying on Saturday after topping the timesheets in a wet final practice session and triggering hope of a competitive run.
Nobody could have dreamt about just how good the two-time champion would be, though.
For the first time in 10 years, Alonso found himself on the front row and, despite being six-tenths down on pole-sitter Verstappen, arguably completed the best lap of anyone in the field.
It puts to bed any criticisms about his age and the constant 'why is a 40-year-old there when a young F2 champion [Oscar Piastri] is on the sidelines'.
See, this was the Alonso of old - ragging his machine around a circuit in a way only he could.
In the end, ninth was all he could muster after a penalty for weaving in defence on the final lap but take nothing away from the sheer brilliance of Alonso's qualifying - he's still got it.
Schumacher jinx intact
Mick Schumacher must be wondering what on earth he has to do to score his first points in F1.
The German has been under scrutiny since his second car-splitting crash of the year in Monaco and his fortunes have not been helped by Kevin Magnussen's impressive form upon his comeback to the sport.
But Schumacher qualified a stunning sixth in wet conditions in Canada and looked well set to finish in the top eight when holding off Guanyu Zhou early on.
Fortunes soured, however, when Schumacher's VF-22 shut down on entry to turn eight, forcing a retirement and an anguished team radio message.
It feels like a matter of time before the duck is broken, but that won't comfort Schumacher after the latest misfortune.
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Red Bull already sending parts to F1 race MONTHS away
- 12 minutes ago
Stats show SURPRISE F1 team dominate in crucial category
- 1 hour ago
Schumacher reveals what F1 pundits are NOT allowed to say about Red Bull
- 2 hours ago
Hamilton struggles pinned on Mercedes by team's OWN driver
- 3 hours ago
Verstappen issues MAYHEM warning to F1 bosses
- 3 hours ago
Ferrari announce HUGE F1 change to iconic red livery
- Today 08:27
Related news
Ex-F1 boss names Canadian Grand Prix HEROES
Ferrari issue kept causing car to almost STOP during Canadian Grand Prix
Ferrari's true pace REVEALED by F1 expert after Canadian GP
Alonso's Canadian GP advantage over Hamilton EXPLAINED by F1 expert
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860