Max Verstappen dominant again, wins from Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton

Another race, another Max Verstappen domination. Verstappen got off to a strong start at the Canadian Grand Prix and didn’t look back, gaining more than seven seconds over Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton and leading every lap in the process.

Hamilton passed Alonso at the start and in the first corner, holding on to second place until lap 23, when Alonso recovered the position, not to give it up.

Canadian Grand Prix Results

1. Max Verstappen (1), Red Bull-Honda RBPT

2. Fernando Alonso (14), Aston Martin-Mercedes

3. Lewis Hamilton (44), Mercedes

4. Charles Leclerc (16), Ferrari

5. Carlos Sainz (55), Ferrari

6. Sergio Perez (11), Red Bull-Honda RBPT

7. Alexander Albon (23), Williams-Mercedes

8. Esteban Ocon (31), Alpine-Renault

9. Lando Norris (4), McLaren-Mercedes

10. Valtteri Bottas (77), Alfa Romeo-Ferrari

11. Lance Stroll (18), Aston Martin-Mercedes

12. Oscar Piastri (81), McLaren-Mercedes

13. Pierre Gasly (10), Alpine-Renault

14. Yuki Tsunoda (22), AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT

15. Nico Hulkenberg, (27), Haas-Ferrari

16. Zhou Guanyu (24), Alfa Romeo-Ferrari

17. Kevin Magnussen (20), Haas-Ferrari

18. Nyck De Vries (21), AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT

19. George Russell (63), Mercedes

20. Logan Sargeant (2), Williams-Mercedes

Russell pulls out a safety car

George Russell hit the wall with his right rear tyre, then caught it with his front wing also coming out of Turn 9 as he raced into fourth on lap 12, knocking out a full safety car. Just one lap before some of the leaders, including Russell’s Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton, complained about tire wear and took advantage of the safety car by opting for the hard tyre. Russell returned to racing in P19 after finding tires and a new front wing.

Sargeant exits VSC, retires

On lap seven of the Grand Prix, Logan Sargeant of Williams came to a stop at Turn 6 and was instructed by the team to shut down the car. This brought the virtual safety car out for two laps as the marshals cleared the track of Sargeant’s car.

Hülkenberg, Sainz, Stroll and Tsunoda get grid drops

Nico Hülkenberg’s second career qualifying effort at No. 1 was short-lived. After setting the second-fastest time in Q3 on Saturday, the stewards felt he had not slowed down enough under a red flag and were dropped down three places on the grid. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who initially qualified P8, will start P11 after the stewards determined he got in the way of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly in Q1, ruining the Frenchman’s last flying lap.

Hometown hero Lance Stroll lost his P13 starting spot for getting in the way of Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and will now start the Grand Prix from P16. Alpha Tauri’s Yuki Tsunoda was downgraded from P16 to P19 on the grid after determining he had hindered Hulkenberg.

Starting grid for the Canadian Grand Prix

1. Max Verstappen (1), Red Bull-Honda RBPT

2. Fernando Alonso (14), Aston Martin-Mercedes

3. Lewis Hamilton (44), Mercedes

4. George Russell (63), Mercedes

5. Nico Hulkenberg, (27), Haas-Ferrari

6. Esteban Ocon (31), Alpine-Renault

7. Lando Norris (4), McLaren-Mercedes

8. Oscar Piastri (81), McLaren-Mercedes

9. Alexander Albon (23), Williams-Mercedes

10. Charles Leclerc (16), Ferrari

11. Carlos Sainz (55), Ferrari

12. Sergio Perez (11), Red Bull-Honda RBPT

13. Kevin Magnussen (20), Haas-Ferrari

14. Valtteri Bottas (77), Alfa Romeo-Ferrari

15. Lance Stroll (18), Aston Martin-Mercedes

16. Pierre Gasly (10), Alpine-Renault

17. Nyck De Vries (21), AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT

18. Logan Sargeant (2), Williams-Mercedes

19. Yuki Tsunoda (22), AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT

20. Zhou Guanyu (24), Alfa Romeo-Ferrari

Verstappen fastest in wet FP3

Free Practice 3 started wet and got wetter. At the end of the session, it was Max Verstappen who led the timesheets with a 1:23.106 on the middle tire. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was second fastest, two tenths behind the Dutchman and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso was third, more than a second behind.

Leclerc’s teammate Carlos Sainz briefly pulled out the red flag with a spin and contact with the barriers in Turn 1 midway through the session.

Mercedes lead wet-dry FP2

After Free Practice 1 was largely wiped out due to CCTV failure, there was plenty of action in an extended FP2. Alpine continued to have problems as Esteban Ocon was ordered to stop his car at the start of the session with a suspected water pressure problem – different from the transmission problem his team-mate Pierre Gasly suffered during his installation tower in FP1.

With around 30 minutes remaining in the session, George Russell set the fastest lap in 1:13.745 before his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton beat him immediately with a 1:13.718. Then the rain fell with 10 minutes remaining, but a few adventurers – Aston Martins and Carlos Sainz among them – mounted intermediate tires to make a jump on what promises to be a wet qualifying session tomorrow.

Several problems destroy FP1

After Pierre Gasly pulled out a red flag when he stopped near Turn 8 on a setup lap with a gearbox problem, it was discovered that the CCTV system was not working. was not properly synchronized. This is a big safety issue as CCTV allows race control to monitor the entire track, even where marshals cannot be, to display yellow flags locally or throughout the course.

The result was a frustrating 50-minute red flag. The FIA ​​decided that Free Practice 2 would start 30 minutes earlier – at 4:30 p.m. ET – and last 90 minutes instead of the usual time.

Canadian Grand Prix Details

Track: Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (Montreal), road course of 2.17 miles, 14 turns
Duration of the race: 70 laps for 190 miles
Lap record: 1:13.078 (Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, 2019)
Tire compounds: C3 (hard), C4 (medium), C5 (soft)
Last year’s winner: Max VerstappenRed Bull

List of entrants to the Canadian Grand Prix

Max Verstappen (1), Red Bull-Honda RBPT
Sergio Perez (11), Red Bull-Honda RBPT
Charles Leclerc (16), Ferrari
Carlos Sainz (55), Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton (44), Mercedes
George Russell (63), Mercedes
Pierre Gasly (10), Alpine-Renault
Esteban Ocon (31), Alpine-Renault
Lando Norris (4), McLaren-Mercedes
Oscar Piastri (81), McLaren-Mercedes
Zhou Guanyu (24), Alfa Romeo-Ferrari
Valtteri Bottas (77), Alfa Romeo-Ferrari
Fernando Alonso (14), Aston Martin-Mercedes
Lance Stroll (18), Aston Martin-Mercedes
Kevin Magnussen (20), Haas-Ferrari
Nico Hulkenberg, (27), Haas-Ferrari
Nyck De Vries (21), AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT
Yuki Tsunoda (22), AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT
Logan Sargeant (2), Williams-Mercedes
Alexander Albon (23), Williams-Mercedes

Best drivers and best bets for the Canadian Grand Prix

Max Verstappen (-275), who won the Canadian Grand Prix last year from pole en route to his second championship in a row, once again enters the weekend as heavy favorite with a negative moneyline at BetMGM. Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate enters the weekend 5-1 after finishing last in 2022 due to a gearbox issue. Lewis Hamilton (+800), who has won seven times on the Gilles Villeneuve circuit, is the only other driver to enter the weekend with odds above 10 to 1.

Better chances of winning
Max Verstappen-275
Sergio Perez +500
Lewis Hamilton +800

Earlier in the week, Nick Bromberg of Yahoo Sports wrote about attractive prop bets for the weekend. Bromberg likes Lando Norris finishing in the points (-140), citing the McLaren driver’s solid qualifying effort two weeks ago in Spain. Bromberg is also bullish on Alpine’s Esteban Ocon to finish ahead of teammate Pierre Gasly (-125), which he has done in the past two races.

Weather for the Canadian Grand Prix

It wouldn’t be a Canadian Grand Prix weekend without at least the threat rain. The forecast calls for precipitation on Friday and Saturday with temperatures in the 70s. It should be significantly cooler on race day with cloud cover and a 55% chance of rain. Mixed conditions can be the great equalizer, as certain areas of the track become more slippery than others and teams assess how much lap time can be saved on grooved tires versus slicks.

On the other hand, the two known masters of the rain in Verstappen and Hamilton also enter with the best equipment and would seem likely to start at the front of the grid.