"They are faster, so I’m not even thinking about that," said Max Verstappen during media day in Montreal when asked whether victory was on the cards. By "they," the reigning world champion was referring to McLaren as, like many, the Dutchman was predicting another win from the papaya-coloured team and thought he would be left scrapping for the final podium place against Mercedes.
In practice, two elements of his prediction were true: yes, the race became a battle with Mercedes, and yes, it was indeed for a podium place. But it unexpectedly was the fight for the top step of the podium, as McLaren was not as strong as anticipated.
