The race report has just dropped and with that I’ll sign off. Happy Father’s Day to you all you dads, pops and papas out there. Love to you all. I’m sure Jos is feeling pretty pleased with the way his son went.
23 titles!
Is this the most decorated F1 podium of all-time?!
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 18, 2023
Seven titles for Lewis Hamilton
Two titles for Fernando Alonso
Two titles for Max Verstappen
23 titles (11 Driver, 12 Constructor) for Adrian Newey
World class.#CanadianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/POcsUyXloM
That’s a podium to rival any in the sport’s history.
13 World Championships on the podium. And counting...#CanadianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/oc2pCJVT1V
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 18, 2023
Now for the anthems on the podium. The Dutch followed by the Austrian. When I was young I used to think the Italian anthem was just another verse of the German given how often the two were paired together. I wonder if any new fans to the sport have created a similar melding in their minds…
Updated
“Max Verstappen is the greatest race car driver in the world.”
Anyone want to argue with Kurt Perleberg?
That’s a full house now for Red Bull. Seven victories from seven races this season. Nine on the bounce and 100 overall. Dominance doesn’t quite cut it. Needless to say, they’re in command of the constructors title race:
1. Red Bull – 287
2. Mercedes – 152
3. Aston Martin – 134
4. Ferarri – 100
5. Alpine – 40
6. McLaren – 17
7. Haas – 8
8. Alfa Romeo – 8
9. AlphaTauri – 2
10. Williams – 1
Sometimes seventh can feel like a win:
The smile says it all! What a performance 😁#CanadianGP #F1 @alex_albon @WilliamsRacing pic.twitter.com/oHRXmvS8uH
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 18, 2023
Verstappen now has a commanding lead on the championship. If he loses it, it’d statistically be the biggest turnaround in F1 history. Don’t bet on it:
1. Verstappen (Red Bull) – 170
2. Perez (Red Bull) – 117
3. Alonso (Aston Martin) – 99
4. Hamilton (Mercedes) – 87
5. Russell (Mercedes) – 65
6. Sainz (Ferrari) – 58
7. Leclerc (Ferrari) – 42
8. Stroll (Aston Martin) – 35
9. Ocon (Alpine) – 25
10. Gasly (Alpine) – 15
Rounding off the podium, here’s Lewis Hamilton:
It’s honestly been a great weekend for us. We’re slowly chipping away. The Astons took a little step ahead with their upgrades but we’re hoping to bring a little more moving forwards. But to have this consistency in Montreal, such an incredible city, with such a great crowd every year here without fail, I just want to thank everyone here.
It’s an honour to be up there with two world champions. Unfortunately we didn’t have the pace today. We knew this wouldn’t be our strongest circuit because we struggle in the lower speed corners. That’s really where I was losing to Fernando and to Max. We’ve got a lot of work to do to add rear downforce and more efficiency. But we’re chipping away and I do believe we’ll get there. We’re moving in the right direction.
Now from a beaming Fernando Alonso who’s asked if that was the race he expected:
Probably. I think so. We were hoping to challenge a bit more the Red Bull. We lost a place at the start so had to fight with Lewis and the Mercedes. I didn’t have one lap where I could relax. It was a lovely battle.
It was tough. It was a very demanding race.
[On his troubles. Was it brakes or fuel?] I don’t know, they didn’t tell me. Maybe it was to make me not worry too much. Hopefully that means we have more pace so we can put more pressure with the next one.
Here’s the race winner, Max Verstappen:
I’m very happy right now. It wasn’t a straight forward race because the tyres were not getting in their window. It was very cold today compared to Friday. We were sliding around quite a bit. But we made it work. And to win again, the 100th grand prix for the team, is incredible.
I never expected to get these kind of numbers. It’s a great day again.
I expected more or less what we had today [he’s talking about the challenge from the other teams]. We just had to keep the grip in the tyres which was disappearing quickly. Overall we won that was the most important.
Updated
Alexander Albon wins the race of the day. Started in ninth. Held on to seventh. I’d have given it to Alonso but I’m not going to write an angry letter after Albon gets the public’s vote.
Perez claims fastest lap! So that strategy worked a charm as the late tyre change for Perez allowed him to keep hold of sixth and steal the extra point from Mercedes.
Canadian GP results
1. Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. Alonso (Aston Martin)
3. Hamilton (Mercedes)
4. Leclerc (Ferrari)
5. Sainz (Ferarri)
6. Perez (Red Bull)
7. Albon (Williams)
8. Ocon (Alpine)
9. Stroll (Aston Martin)
10. Bottas (Alfa Romeo)
Updated
Verstappen equals Senna
It’s two Canadian GP wins for Verstappen. Red Bull have their 100th F1 win and the young Dutchman with two world championships already now has as many wins as the great Brazilian Senna.
Updated
Lap 70/70: Verstappen starts the final lap and will hand Red Bull their 100th race win. Hamilton still has the fastest lap and Norris has just been slammed with a five second penalty. He’s in ninth but won’t remain there.
Lap 69/70: Only Norris can change the line-up and that is if he gets past Ocon. Perez in sixth pits in the hope he might come out and get a fastest lap to steal a point off Hamilton and Mercedes.
Lap 68/70: That Ocon rear wing is wobbling a lot! A lot, a lot. The Alpine pit wall is willing him on.
Lap 67/70: Alonso’s rear brakes have won him second place here. And considering Verstappen’s dominance that’ll feel like a win. Ocon in eighth has a “floppy” rear wing. Norris is complaining about it. It really is jiggling around to be fair.
Lap 66/70: Verstappen almost crashes into the wall! He manages to laugh about it. Wow! Can you just imagine.
Lap 65/70: Alonso no almost three seconds ahead of Hamilton. Has he done enough to grab second?
Lap 64/70: Norris passes Bottas and holds off the counter. Excellent driving.
Lap 63/70: Albon still holding onto seventh. Ocon, Bottas, Norris and Stroll in hot step. But Norris could be pinned with a five second penalty so he’d lose 10th.
Lap 63/70: Alonso has been given licence to put more in his rear brakes which has helped nudge a little extra breathing room between himself and Hamilton.
Lap 62/70: This is a track that is best suited to Hamilton given his ability to brake late into the turn. Still, he’s two seconds behind Alonso is starting to fish tail slightly in search of extra speed through the corner.
Lap 61/70: Hamilton has caught Alonso. Nine laps to pass him.
Updated
Lap 60/70: Albon is holding on to seventh with Ocon, Bottas, Norris and Stroll all in tight formation behind him.
Lap 59/70: Hamilton has just recorded four consecutively faster laps than Alonso. Buckle up.
Lap 58/70: Verstappen’s lead up to eight seconds. Ferrari have pulled a rabbit out of the hat here. Looks like fourth and fifth will be theirs.
Lap 57/70: Hamilton can now see Alonso in the distance. The gap is under two seconds. Not sure Alonso will be able to hold him off if caught.
Lap 56/70: Russell’s retirement means Norris is up to 10th. Hamilton has halved the gap to Alonso since they both pitted.
Russell's race is done
Lap 55/70: Russell’s race is over. Just as he was galloping up the field, it’s a brake failure that does him in the end. He started 4th, hit a wall, began anew at the back, got up to 8th but now retires.
Updated
Lap 54/70: Reminder that Verstappen will equal Ayrton Senna’s career wins with victory today.
Lap 53/70: Albon and Russell are on tyres that are 40 laps old. Ocon behind him is on a set of boots that are only 16 laps old. A bit of a train forming behind them. Bottas also in the mix.
Lap 52/70: Ocon is eyeing up the slower moving Albon and Russell up ahead. Could have a three-way battle for seventh soon.
Lap 51/70: Norris is facing a penalty for “unsportsmanlike conduct”. The Sky commentators aren’t too sure what it’s all about. Talk of trouble in the pit lane. He’s in 11th.
Lap 50/70: Alonso eases a bit of breathing room ahead of Hamilton. Absolutely loving their tussle. But Alonso might have to ease up before he runs out of fuel.
Verstappen
Alonso +5.8
Hamilton +3.4
Leclerc +3.4
Sainz +2.3
Perez +4.5
Albon +15.1
Russell +0.9
Acon +1.4
Lap 49/70: Russell is inches behind Albon in seventh. The Williams won’t roll over.
Lap 48/70: Verstappen has now led F1 for 202 consecutive laps. Hamilton is closing in on Alonso after the Spaniard ran wide and off the track.
Lap 47/70: Alonso responds to Hamilton’s fastest lap and sets one of his own. He’s on the hard tyres. But Hamilton says, “Oh no,” and takes it right back. They’re racing, these two old war dogs, that’s for sure.
Lap 46/70: Albon also doing a fine job but will soon have Russell all over him in 7th. Hamilton on the mediums with the fastest lap.
Lap 45/70: Russell is up to 8th! Started 4th but he hit the wall early on and has since done a superb job hauling his car into the points.
Lap 44/70: Ooo. I did say the mediums looked quicker. Perez has the fastest lap now. He’s chasing the Ferraris up ahead in 4th and 5th. Radio confirms that we won’r expect a battle when he does eventually catch them. They’re on different races.
Lap 43/70: Verstappen pits now. He’s shifted to the mediums which seem to be the quicker tyre now. He’s 4.5 seconds ahead of Alonso in second.
“Who would have thought after all those years Alonso would still be battling it out with Lewis ? I remember them falling out at Maclaren because Alonso wanted to be the no 1 driver!”
It’s brilliant, isn’t it Anne Williams!
Lap 42/70: Alonso pits for a second time from second place. He remains on the hard tyres. Sainz has just set the fastest lap. Whisper it quietly but Ferrari have perhaps done something that’s worked.
Lap 41/70: Hamilton pits and comes back on the mediums.
Lap 40/70: Leclerc pits now. He’s ahead of Sainz who is holding off Perez. The Ferraris are on hard tyres and now Perez is on the mediums.
Lap 39/70: Sainz pits. He entered from 5th. He’s in and out and on the hard tyres. Looks like he’s retained his position. Turns out a good move from the Ferraris.
Lap 38/70: Perez pits from 6th. He’s down to 7th.
Updated
Lap 37/70: Magnussen and Norris pit. Magnussen has had an eventful race. He started 13th and is now down to 19th. Ocon pits for a second time. Bottas pits as well and is down to 11th and has come out with a medium tyre.
Lap 36/70: Safety car? Nope, Magnussen and Hulkenberg can get back on track after finding the run-off area and so the Ferraris stay out. There was movement in the garage.
Lap 35/70: Verstappen was going through some tyre issues but those are clearly over now. A tangle at turn one leaves two drivers off the track as Magnussen and Hulkenberg have to reverse and re-enter the race at the back.
Updated
Lap 34/70: Verstappen 5.3 seconds ahead of Alonso who is 3.1 ahead of Hamilton. That top three has calcified somewhat.
Lap 33/70: Sainz is now seven seconds ahead of Perez. Remember, the Ferraris need about 19 if they’re to hold their position after pitting.
Lap 32/70: Russell has made some ground and is up to 17th. But he’ll be annoyed that his race is over after smacking a wall with his wheel.
Lap 31/70: Alonso still has the fastest lap but Verstappen is pulling away. Unless the world champion crashes he’ll claim his 41st race win.
Lap 30/70: Alonso has been outstanding. No many pre-race thought he’d still be in the mix at this stage.
Verstappen
Alonso +4
Hamilton +2.6
Leclerc +2.8
Sainz +1.6
Perez +3.9
Ocon +6.8
Bottas +2.1
Norris +0.9
Piastri +2.8
Getting a bit of chat about nostalgia.
“It was more exciting for me when it was on terrestrial TV, it’s become a very elitist sport.”
That’s from Anne Williams.
Richard Hirst adds:
“In reply to Gary Naylor, how about rugby union? More flowing and spectacular in the 1970s for example.”
Lap 29/70: Verstappen now 3.5 seconds in the lead. Alonso has dropped Hamilton after setting the fastest lap. That gap is now almost 2 seconds.
Lap 28/70: Perez is having a great race. He’s made six positions from the grid and will make another two once the Ferraris pit. He’s in 6th.
Lap 27/70: Bottas and Norris are battling for 8th. Leclerc and Sainz need at least 19 seconds to hold onto what they’ve got. Perez is 4seconds behind them at present.
Updated
Lap 26/70: The Ferraris are still out there. Leclerc in 4th and Sainz in 5th. Now the only drivers on the mediums.
Lap 25/70: Verstappen disappearing. 3.5 seconds ahead of Alonso and Hamilton.
Lap 24/70: Magnussen has backed up a long train behind him in 10th. Hamilton and Norris both let off the hook.
Lap 23/70: Alonso passes Hamilton and holds off the counter. Brilliant driving from these two champions.
Lap 22/70: Alonso is all over the back of Hamilton but just doesn’t have the requisite grunt to pass him.
Updated
Lap 21/70: Alonso now sets the fastest lap. Magnussen drops from 7th to 10th in a flash as first Ocon and then Bottas and Norris passes him.
Lap 20/70: Albon passes Piastri to take 11th. Hamilton drifting to almost two seconds behind Verstappen.
Lap 19/70: Verstappen has just set another fastest lap and has opened up a 1.5 second gap over Hamilton. Leclerc locks up his softer tyres. The Ferraris need to stay out there for a long time if this strategy not to pit under the safety car is to pay off.
Lap 18/70: Race control has nailed Norris for an unsafe release. He might get a penalty. Not that he’s worrying about that now. He’s trying to keep his teammate, Piastri, at bay in 11th. Hamilton’s release in front of Alonso also being looked at.
Lap 17/70: Verstappen leads as the safety car ducks back in the pits. Alonso right on Hamilton’s tail. Two Ferraris behind them. Haas is holding onto 7th. No incidents after the restart.
Lap 16/70: Safety car remains out there. Perez, like the Ferraris, opted to stay out. Perez is on a hard tyre and will be able to stay out longer. He started in 12th but is now in contention for a podium. He’ll be eying Alonso’s third place at least. Safety car coming in after this lap.
Hard to disagree with this.
Is any other sport a better spectacle in the 20th century than the 21st @danielgallan?
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) June 18, 2023
Sure there's today's technology and infinitely improved coverage. No match for the visceral thrill of racing from 1950 - 1999, the heterogeneity of the circuits and the glamour of the drivers
Lap 15/70: Only the Ferraris are on the mediums. Everyone else is on the hard compound. Russell is back out but is holding up the rear. Safety car still out. Top three of Verstappen, Hamilton and Alonso all got in the pits. Could this work for the Ferraris? Or was this another blunder?
Lap 14/70: Ooooh. Drama in the pit lane. Hamilton is released just in front of Alonso. The stewards might have a look at that. The Ferrari’s didn’t pit. Leclerc is up to 4th and Sainz is 5th. Bold. Perez has also made some ground.
We’ve still got a safety car. Here’s the top 10 after those pits:
Verstappen
Hamilton
Alonso
Leclerc
Sainz
Perez
Magnussen
Bottas
Ocon
Piastri
Lap 13/70: Russell went deep at the exit of the first part of the chicane and lost control. It’s a big impact. Driver error and he apologises with some swear words on the team radio.
George Russell hits the wall
Oh no! What’s happened there. The Brit has clattered a wall and has broken the wheel rim. Safety car is in and he’s limping to the pit lane.
Lap 12/70: Hulkenberg pits so Norris, Leclerc and Albon move ahead into 7th, 8th and 9th. Russell has hit the wall!
Lap 11/70: Hamilton apaprently complaining that the tyres are “too hot”. Gasly is the first to pit and whips off the softs.
Top 5:
Verstappen
Hamilton
Alonso
Russell
Ocon
Lap 10/70: Hamilton holding up Alonso has now made an Aston Martin Sandwich with Mercedes serving as the bread. What I mean is Russell has caught the pair ahead of him and there’s now a three way battle for second.
Lap 9/70: Alonso shifts a little wide in search of some cool air as he’s all over the back of Hamilton. Leclerc is on the charge behind Norris. Somehow Verstappen has stretched his lead to more than three seconds despite the virtual safety car in play. Big battle for seventh with Hulkenberg leading Norris and Leclerc.
Lap 8/70: Virtual safety car in play as Sargeant’s car is in a tricky spot at turn 6. Verstappen had just set the fastest lap time before that was called.
Lap 7/70: Hulkenberg has dropped two spots and could have a problem. We’ve got out first retirement as Sargeant’s engine shuts down.
Lap 6/70: Verstappen almost two seconds ahead of Hamilton. Alonso is now more than four seconds ahead of Russell. He’s having a great race after a dodgy start. In fact, he’s chasing down Hamilton.
Top 10:
Verstappen
Hamilton
Alonso
Russell
Ocon
Hulkenberg
Piastri
Norris
Leclerc
Albon
Lap 5/70: Russell isn’s closing the gap on Alonso. Norris continues to keep Leclerc at bay.
Lap 4/70: Hamilton is chasing Verstappen. He’s over 1.5 seconds down the road.
Lap 3/70: Alonso clips the wall and the Sky commentators are suggesting he might face some suspension issues. Will keep an eye on that. He’s still in third.
Lap 2/70: Perez is holding firm at 12th. He’ll want to start climbing the ranks soon. Sainz almost screamed into the back of him.
Lap 1/70: So Verstappen got away without a fuss. Alonso was easily passed by Hamilton. McLaren’s Piastri and Norris are in 7th and 8th. Leclerc in the Ferari is up to 7th.
LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO...
Verstappen gets away cleanly and it’s also a good start from Hamilton who squeezes past Alonso. Leclerc is away swiftly who goes wide and loses the place he nabbed from Perez.
Updated
The drivers are in their cockpits and just about to get underway for the warm-up lap. Not long to go now.
And before we get going, let me wish a happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there. Whether you’re raising a little one who shares your DNA or not, you’re an absolute champion.
“It was a good day but of course today is very different so we will see, there’s very low grip, so throughout the race there will be a lot of rubber on the track which will also influence the tyres quite a bit, but we will see.”
So says Max Verstappen. I’d genuinely love to know if he enjoys simply cantering away in the distance without any challenge. I’m sure winning F1 races never gets old but surely, SURELY, a contest would be more fun?
Just been told that the track is “green” which means it’ll be slippery. First corner could be tasty.
Not long to day? “We will rock you” is blasting round the track? Ya’ll ready for this?
We're ready to go racing! 🤩#CanadianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/08ANwW1lB2
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 18, 2023
He’s got some way to go – 62 in fact – but Max Verstappen will one day surpass Lewis Hamilton’s record of 103 F1 race wins.
Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. That’s from the man who holds the record himself:
Speaking of Ferarri… there’s a problem with Charles Leclerc’s car. There’s an issue with the wooden plank under the machine. Vasseur doesn’t seem too bothered though. Should be fine by the time they get going.
Just what is going on at Ferarri? That’s a question that has too many answers to unpack here. Not even Fred Vasseur, the team’s F1 prinicapl, can pinpoint the problem. “It’s very difficult to understand and to fix it because it’s not always the same problem,” he said after Barcelona.
What makes this conundrum more baffling is the success at Le Mans last week. How could that have gone so well when everything else is going so wrong with the flagship car?
Starting grid
Just a reminder, after all those grid penalties, how the drivers will start today’s race:
Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
George Russell (Mercedes)
Nico Hulkenberg – 3 place penalty (Haas)
Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
Lando Norris (McLaren)
Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
Alex Albon (Williams)
Charles Leclerc (Ferarri)
Carlos Sainz – 3 place penalty (Ferarri)
Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
Valterri Botas (Alfa Romeo)
Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
Lance Stroll – 3 place penalty (Aston Martin)
Nyck de Vries (AlphaTauri)
Logan Sargeant (Williams)
Yuki Tsunoda – 3 place penalty (AlphaTauri)
Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo)
With penalties applied, here's a re-vamped starting grid for Sunday's Grand Prix! 👀#CanadianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/ssDg25XQDk
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 18, 2023
Updated
There were four grid penalties after yesterday’s practice.
Haas driver Niko Hulkenberg should be starting on the front row but has been booted down to fifth after he was caught speeding under a red flag.
Ferarri’s Carlo Sainz drops from eighth to 11th after a problematic Q2 exit. Lance Stroll of Aston Martin starts 16th instead of 13th and AlphaTauri’s double Q1 elimination becomes more depressing as Yuki Tsunoda goes from 16th to 19th.
A win for Max Verstappen would take his career tally to 41. That would put him level with the Brazilian great Ayrton Senna.
The flying Dutchman has needed a few more starts to get there – Senna needed 162 for his haul while this is Verstappen’s 172nd race – but that would be some feat for the 25-year-old double world champion.
He’s got plenty left in the tank and will soon be hunting other titans of the sport. Alain Prost (51), Sebastian Vettel (53), Michael Schumacher (91) and Lewis Hamilton (103) will have Verstappen in their rearview mirrors eventually.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to Max Verstappen’s victory parade in Montreal. Er, I mean the Canadian Grand Prix at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. But really, what’s the difference?
Formula 1 is a complicated sport, one with so many moving parts and technological innovations that it can be hard keeping track of what’s what. But things get real simple when you stick an elite driver in a car that is streets ahead of the pack.
Red Bull have been unstoppable this campaign. Verstappen has won five races so far (including three on the bounce) with his teammate Sergio Perez claiming the other two.
The reigning world champion begins on pole – the 25th of his career – after beating out Niko Hulkenberg and Fernando Alonso in the lashing rain. Though Hulkenberg was one of four drivers slapped with a grid penalty and will instead start in fifth.
Lewis Hamilton edged his Mercedes teammate, George Russell, to fourth – but will start third – while it was another tough day for the Ferraris. Carlos Sainz placed eighth but has been shunted back down to 11th after impeding Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.
We’re not expecting much rain today but the famous Wall of Champions – a feature that makes this one of my favourite tracks on the calendar – will still pose problems for any driver who strays off his line.
The smart money is on Verstappen getting to the first corner and staying in front for the rest of the race. But perhaps this is the day he finally puts a foot wrong.
My name is Daniel and I’m excited be serve as your safety car for this one. If you want to share something with the group then please do get in touch.
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