Max Verstappen won the Canadian GP.
It was a crazy race, conditioned by rain and safety cars, according to a scenario that has been seen many times in the past on the fast and treacherous circuit of the Isle of Notre Dame in Montreal.
Max preceded Lando Norris, who confirmed McLaren’s excellent moment, winning in Miami, second in Imola and fourth in Monte Carlo.
Attacking Mercedes
Third was an aggressive George Russell in the Mercedes, who passed his teammate Hamilton at the end and thus deservedly climbed onto the podium.
Oscar Piastri was also a protagonist in the race, in the other McLaren, who however preferred to bring home a very useful placing (fifth) at the end rather than taking unnecessary risks, the choice of a mature driver.
The Ferraris were completely missing from the race, waiting for confirmation after the victory in Monte Carlo.
Max, the Safety Car helped
Two considerations immediately stand out:
- the first is that the safety cars helped Verstappen, who didn’t have the best car of the lot (it’s not the first time this year, something seems to be creaking in the world champion team) and he put in his usual personal ability, combined with a perfect strategy.
- the second is that with a little more clarity (a question of timing at the pit stop) perhaps Norris would have won.
The combination of these two factors is that Verstappen is extending his lead in the World Championship (he now has an almost two-race lead, 56 points) and extinguishing the ambitions of those who, after Monte Carlo, were thinking of a reopened championship.
Summary of the Canadian GP for the Reds: mistakes and an engine in crisis
And Ferrari? As team principal Vasseur said, life complicated itself: undriveable cars, nightmare qualifying, a double retirement during the race (Leclerc due to an engine-related cause and Sainz due to an off-track exit).
However, a key principle is reiterated: if a car is slow there is little that can be done…
And the Reds never found the pace: a question of set-up and “arguments” with the tyres.
Suddenly it seemed that the progress curve shown in the last few races, thanks also to the recent developments of the single-seater, had vanished into thin air.
Of course it won’t be like this, we need proof (and also a strong reaction) but the Canadian weekend is a sort of slap in the face from which we will need to recover quickly.
On a track where the combination of new asphalt and rain made the work of engineers and technicians very complicated, there were those who did it better (McLaren and Red Bull), those who also had a bit of luck (Mercedes) and who ended up in crisis.
Then, certainly, the stuttering engine didn’t help the Monegasque. But certainly, after the checkered flag, the tension at Ferrari was palpable.
Worth noting are the strong points of Alonso and Stroll (Aston Martin), Ricciardo (Racing Bull) and the two Renaults.
Leclerc: “It doesn’t go that way”; Vasseur: “Bad weekend”
“The engine problem – explained Leclerc – it influenced us and the outcome of the match was difficult, we didn’t collect a single point”.
In the heat of the moment, speaking to Sky, his judgment was even harsher:
“I had already lost the race in qualifying, but the engine problem was decisive. And it’s not at all nice that you have to change the engines so often.”
The reference is that in this first phase of the season there has been a strong rotation among the units allowed by the regulation (three), from the fourth you will have to pay penalties.
For Sainz, looking for results to secure a place in 2025, the Canadian GP is a moment to cancel:
“We need to make sure we don’t find ourselves in these situations again. I still have to apologize, I was at the back of the group, but I still have to apologize for the spin that caused Albon’s retirement. And I also apologize to the team.”
Vasseur avoids going into detail about what went wrong: “A bad weekend from the start. Let’s put it this way: we hope to have had every possible problem imaginable in just one race.”
Red Bull, perfect strategy
Verstappen is aware that he had some help from the atypical conditions in which the race took place: “Many things happened, we had to manage the pit calls well and the team did it. And the Safety Car helped us.”
Exactly the contact of what happened to Norris: “It happened the way it happened, there’s no point in complaining. In Miami the Safety Car helped me win, but that didn’t happen here. Overall I had a lot of fun and second place is excellent.”
And the future Ferrari driver Hamilton, beaten by his teammate Russell: “As far as I’m concerned, a bad performance. The car on the other hand is recovering, I’d say the situation is promising. Of course, at the end I thought that George and I had the same tyres, but he had the mediums”.
A jab at the team he’s about to leave?
The Canadian GP according to Pirelli: “A race that was fun”
The tires were decisive, making Pirelli satisfied with their work and their products (on the track, between wet and dry tyres, four of the five types of tire available were seen). “The extreme wet tyre, which is usually rarely used, has proven to be competitive on a low-energy track with a lot of water on the asphalt – explained the head of Pirelli Motorsport, Mario Isola -. The Intermedia allowed us to do even very long stints, confirming that it is suitable for running both with the asphalt still considerably wet and when it is almost dry.”
“As regards Hard and Medium, it is difficult to say which was the best tire because the second safety car essentially prevented us from evaluating what the price to pay in terms of degradation could have been for those who had chosen the Medium to ensure greater grip in the first laps with the track still damp.”
“Anyway, congratulations to everyone involved in the race, because I think everyone who loves this sport really enjoyed themselves.”
