Max Verstappen held off Carlos Sainz’s pressure and won the Canadian GP this Sunday afternoon (19). proof of Formula 1 it happened in fine weather, unlike the weather conditions where free practice and qualifying took place. On Saturday, it rained heavily in Montreal. It was Max’s first win in Canada.
Verstappen battled for the lead with the Ferrari drivers throughout the race. However, in the final laps, the Spaniard opened the movable wings several times in an attempt to overtake his rival. But the championship leader once again confirmed his favorite for the year holding his ground well.
Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz shake hands after the Canadian Grand Prix
Image: Clive Rose/Getty Images via AFP
Sainz has never claimed a top spot on the podium in a race, and he almost took that weight off his shoulders today. Lewis Hamilton finished off the podium, in a positive result so far from Mercedes.
Leclerc recovered the penalty
Charles Leclerc started from behind on Sunday as Ferrari decided to make changes to the car’s engine for the race. Monegasque, however, rose 13 positions and reached sixth place.
However, on lap 43, while leaving for the pits, the Ferrari stopped taking more than five seconds, delaying the return and causing Leclerc to lose five positions. He returned to 11th position and, late in the race, overtook six opponents and finished the race in fifth.
Alonso started second but didn’t last
Alonso, who said Saturday (18) after qualifying that he would attack Verstappen from the start, was overtaken by Carlos Sainz on the first lap.
Safety Car on the track
The race ended early for Sérgio Perez. The Red Bull racer had to withdraw from the race due to engine problems. While speeding his Red Bull, he didn’t react. The virtual Safety Car comes into play for the car to be released. The leader until then, Max Verstappen used a yellow flag to penetrate the penalty box.
Mick Schumacher also left the race with car trouble, right in the same spot where Perez’s Red Bull broke down.
On the 49th lap, Yuki Tsunoda also fell. On exiting the box, he was unable to turn, and the Safety Car entered the track.
During this period, Carlos Sainz stopped to complain and, once again, the Ferrari’s times were not the best: just over 3.5 seconds. With the stop, Verstappen regained the lead.
Lap 55 started with a restart, but the top three positions remained unchanged.
“Where’s Hamilton?”
On the 11th lap, Fernando Alonso asked the team over the radio where his rival Lewis Hamilton was. The Spaniard’s dispute with Mercedes’ idol, over who he thinks can get a good finish in the championship.
The Alpine driver managed to hold Hamilton at the back until lap 25, when the Briton passed the veteran and reached third.
Alonso came second in qualifying, but finished the race in seventh place. The result is a rider’s best ranking since 2012, when he was on pole at the German Grand Prix.
Hamilton praised Mercedes
After criticizing his car in an interview given on Friday (17), Lewis Hamilton said that his Mercedes was much better for racing in Montreal. He started fourth and managed to get into position on the track. “I’m happy with the result. The car has come a long way”.
Here are the Canadian Grand Prix standings:
Max Verstappen 1st (Red Bull)
2nd Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
Third Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
4George Russell (Mercedes)
5 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
6th Esteban Ocon (Alps)
7 Fernando Alonso (Alps)
Valtteri Bottas the 8th (Alfa Romeo)
9th Guanyu Zhou (Alfa Romeo)
10th Lance Street (Aston Martin)
Daniel Ricciardo the 11th (McLaren)
12 Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin)
Alex Albon the 13th (Williams)
The 14th Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri)
15th Lando Norris (McLaren)
Nicholas Latifi the 16th (Williams)
17th Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
Unranked: Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri), Mick Schumacher (Haas) and Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
“Geek zombie. Subtly charming social media scholar. Beer enthusiast. Lifelong bacon pioneer.”
