Track Torque: Verstappen takes wet-dry Canadian GP
It was a shocker for Ferrari with a double DNF.
Max Verstappen won his third Canadian Grand Prix in a row last Sunday to take his total tally of Grand Prix wins to 60.
It was raced at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal.
The ultra-successful ‘Flying Dutchman’ drove a superb race, not putting a foot wrong, and came through from second position to reach the chequered flag first in his Red Bull Honda, ahead of Lando Norris.
Norris also drove a superlative race, and this time, the pace car intervention favoured Verstappen.
In third place was the first of the two Mercedes, driven by George Russell, followed by Lewis Hamilton, less than a second apart after a great scrap.
Oscar Piastri, in the other McLaren Mercedes, was fifth.
The duo of Aston Martin Mercedes, driven by Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, were sixth and seventh, respectively.
Both drivers did their best, and Stroll held his name up high in front of his home crowd.
Daniel Ricciardo also drove very well for his eighth spot and, I think, should be given the second drive at Red Bull next to Verstappen.
It had earlier been confirmed that Sergio Perez had been assigned to this position, but he drove badly and did not finish the race, which makes us question whether he deserves his job.
In ninth and 10th were Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, respectively, in their Alpine Renaults.
Both drivers earned their stripes for the top 10 places despite underpowered cars.
At one stage of the race, there was a Noah’s Ark pattern – cars in ‘2×2′ following each other, from second to 11th positions, so close is the racing nowadays.
It was a good race of changing fortunes, with Ferrari the worst off.
Neither car finished the race, which was held in changeable conditions of cold/wet and hot/dry track for the duration, together with the safety cars’ intervention.
Next race is in Barcelona, Spain, in two weeks’ time.
Drivers:
1 Max Verstappen 194
2 Charles Leclerc 138
3 Lando Norris 131
4 Carlos Sainz 108
5 Sergio Perez 107
6 Oscar Piastri 81
7 George Russell 69
8 Lewis Hamilton 55
9 Fernando Alonso 41
10 Yuki Tsunoda 19
Teams:
1 Red Bull 301
2 Ferrari 252
3 McLaren 212
4 Mercedes 124
5 Aston Martin 58
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