F1 team's WOEFUL year continues as Perez struggles AGAIN - FIVE things you may have missed at the Canadian GP

Canadian Grand Prix

F1 team's WOEFUL year continues as Perez struggles AGAIN - FIVE things you may have missed at the Canadian GP

Did you miss any of these things during the Canadian Grand Prix?

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson

Monday 10 June 2024 17:00

The Canadian Grand Prix contained a whole lot more drama than the result may have indicated after Max Verstappen secured a 60th career victory.

The three-time world champion was closely followed by Lando Norris across the line in Montreal, after a chaotic wet-dry race.

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After a late battle with teammate Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes' George Russell claimed third place and took the final step on the podium having started the race on pole.

With multiple drivers vying for the victory, naturally, the focus on the television broadcast was largely at the front of the pack, but there was plenty of action throughout the order well worth discussing.

Max Verstappen won the Canadian Grand Prix

1. Verstappen avoids mid-race collision

Despite having won the race, Max Verstappen still had plenty to do in Canada this weekend to do so, including a manoeuvre that he would not have been expecting to make.

Post-race it emerged that the three-time world champion was forced to take avoiding action on his way to victory after encountering a groundhog mid-race.

The Canadian Grand Prix has seen its fair share of animals on track over the years, including this weekend, and it appears they once again made an appearance on Sunday.

On the incident, Verstappen told the media: "He was almost dead,"

"I thought it was debris initially, but then I was like oh my god, it's an animal.

"I really had to slow down for it."

2. Alpine tension intensifies

After an incident at the Monaco Grand Prix that saw Alpine driver Esteban Ocon collide with teammate Pierre Gasly, team boss Bruno Famin was rightly unhappy.

After that incident and ahead of this weekend in Canada, it was even confirmed that Ocon would leave the team ahead of 2025, although how much impact the above had on that decision is unknown.

In Canada, both Alpine's finished in the points, which should have been a cause for celebration in the team after a very difficult start to 2024. However, things will no doubt have been marred by events at the end of the race.

Esteban Ocon initally refused team orders in Canada

With three laps to go, Ocon was asked by his team over the radio to allow Gasly through so he could try to chase down Daniel Ricciardo ahead, but Ocon refused initially, telling his race engineer to 'forget it'.

Eventually, a couple of laps later, Ocon did allow Gasly through, but by that point, any potential opportunity to catch Ricciardo had been missed.

3. Albon produces impressive double overtake

After picking up their first points last time out in Monaco, it was another forgettable weekend for Williams in Canada.

Things were looking promising on Saturday after Alex Albon made it to Q3 and qualified 10th, but come the chequered flag on Sunday, both drivers had registered a DNF after separate incidents.

Albon did have some fun in the race whilst he lasted, though, producing an impressive double overtake in damp conditions heading into turn 13 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

In ninth place at the time, under braking, Albon neatly placed his Williams between RB's Daniel Ricciardo and Haas' Kevin Magnussen to take seventh place at the time.

Unfortunately for Albon, he wouldn't finish there, or at all, but it was great to watch nevertheless.

4. Haas blunder after impressive start

Away from the lead of the race, one of the biggest talking points in the early stages of the Canadian GP was the ascent of Haas' Kevin Magnussen.

Gambling on the wet tyre whilst the majority of the grid opted for intermediates, the Dane flew up the order, climbing to as high as fourth place having started 14th.

Unfortunately for Magnussen and Haas, things quickly went wrong after that.

When it came time to call their driver in to change over from the wet tyre to the intermediate option on lap eight, Haas' pit crew were not ready, resulting in a painfully long 8.6 second stop.

This blunder saw Magnussen tumble down the order to 12th place, further than would have been the case had the team performed even an average pit-stop.

5. Perez summoned to the stewards after the race

The lead up to the Canadian GP was a good one for Red Bull's Sergio Perez.

Despite a very mixed start to the season, it was announced ahead of the weekend that the Mexican had secured his future within the Milton Keynes-based team, signing a new, two-year deal.

If Perez wanted to repay the faith shown in him by Red Bull with a strong performance on track, he will have to wait until the Spanish Grand Prix next time out.

In Canada, Perez had a disastrous qualifying, heading out in Q1 and starting the race in 16th. After not making much progress in the race, the Mexican then went on to register a DNF on Sunday after losing control of his car and causing huge damage to his rear wing.

Perez made it back to the pits, avoiding a safety car, but was later summoned to the stewards for doing so with the allegation being that he continued to drive with an unsafe car.

Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Lando Norris F1 George Russell