Max Verstappen returns to victory. The three-time Formula 1 champion regained his winning stride by winning the Canadian Grand Prix and consolidating itself at the top of the classification of the highest competition in motor sport.
It was a solid victory for the Dutchman and a kind of revenge after taking sixth place in Monaco, a location very far from what you are usually used to. The strangeness of his fall reflected the hegemony he has had in recent seasons, where he has commanded the World Cup without much opposition.
Now, in North American territory, Verstappen obtained the 60th victory of his career. He completed the 70 laps of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, located in Montreal, in a time of 1:45:47.927.
The race began with the pole position of George Russell (Mercedes), who was followed by the Dutchman. In the previous, Both achieved something historic by finishing Q3 with the same time (1.12.000), something that had not happened since 1997.
Another important factor was the rain. The weekend in Montreal was marked by rain, which fell again minutes after the start. He was even threatened with a possible delay in the start of the race, but it was only a warning.
Almost all the drivers started with intermediate tires, trying to bet on friendly weather. The Haas were the only ones that launched with the extreme rain tires, something that managed to make a difference at the beginning. Magnussen gained seven positions and Hulkenberg five, in the first two laps. The first, even two laps later, managed to position himself fourth.
The advantage began to be lost after the rain stopped and the sun came out. There the battles began in different sections. At the tip, Verstappen couldn’t catch up to Russell. He only achieved it after a gross mistake by the Mercedes driver, who was overtaken by Lando Norris (McLaren) and the Red Bull driver.
An accident for Sargeant forced the departure of the safety car. Verstappen, Russell and Piastri entered the pits, while Norris did not. There, The Dutchman managed to get first at the start, while the McLaren driver stopped a lap later and remained a full lap behind the safety car. A mistake that ended up paying dearly.
From then on no one stopped him. The fight was limited to second place, between the two Britons.
Finally, Verstappen finished in first position and was followed by Norris, while Russell closed the podium. After them finished Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), Oscar Piastri (McLaren), Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin). Daniel Ricciardo (RB), Pierre Gasly (Alpine) and Esteban Ocon (Alpine) closed the top 10.
With this victory, the 26-year-old driver makes more differences in the F1 table. He leads the competition with 169 points, 31 more than Charles Leclerc and 56 more than Norris. In addition, Red Bull continues to be at the top of the constructors.
The Formula 1 World Championship will continue with the Spanish GP. Barcelona will host the world’s largest motorsports competition on June 23.
