Max Verstappen wins the Canadian Grand Prix for the first time. Verstappen started the 150th Grand Prix of his Formula 1 career from pole position and kept Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari behind him in an exciting final phase.
In the last fifteen laps of the Grand Prix, Sainz was always close to Verstappen with the newer tires, but the Red Bull world champion did not give up and finished a clear weekend.
46 points ahead of the World Cup
Verstappen finished the season with his sixth World Cup win and saw his opponents struggle. Teammate Sergio Pérez, who finished second in pre-race qualifying, retired early in the race due to engine problems.
Number three Charles Leclerc did not get further than fifth place after a catch-up race with a grid penalty. Verstappen leads the World Cup standings with 175 points after 9 of the 22 races. That is 46 more than Pérez and 49 more than Leclerc.
Surprisingly, just behind Verstappen on the starting grid was Fernando Alonso, who managed to get to the front in qualifying for the first time in ten years. The two-time world champion (2005 and 2006) even announced that he wanted to attack Verstappen in the first corner, but Alonso did not take the lead of the race.
Even before the first corner was reached, Verstappen was far removed from the rest of the field. It also paid off in the early laps as the Spaniard was challenged by his compatriot Carlos Sainz, who wasted no time overtaking Alonso’s Alpine in his Ferrari.
Pérez retired with engine problem
The ease with which a Red Bull driver completes his laps at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is in stark contrast to Pérez’s race. Due to an accident during Saturday evening’s qualifying, the Mexican started thirteenth.
Pérez had just started his catch-up race when he suddenly circled the track at a snail’s pace. “I’m stuck in my gear,” he shouted over the radio on lap eight. Pérez was out of the race for the second time this season due to engine problems.
Like Pérez, Charles Leclerc was doomed to a catch-up race. After a breakdown in Azerbaijan a week ago, he had to install the fourth turbo of the season in his engine. This cost him ten places in the grid and never got him close to a podium.
Crash Tsunoda makes the ending exciting
The problems of his direct rivals in the battle for the world title were far away for Verstappen. Still, the 26th win of his F1 career was not an easy one as Carlos Sainz gradually switched to new tyres.
After the second pit stop, Verstappen returned to the track in third, just behind Lewis Hamilton. The Briton expanded and gave Verstappen enough space. But Hamilton couldn’t take more than a few corners and then the Red Bull driver was able to keep an eye on Sainz.
This chase was interrupted by the remaining twenty laps when Yuki Tsunoda threw him straight into the grass. The safety car came on track and Sainz immediately took the opportunity to buy new tires, putting him back on track just behind Verstappen – and therefore with fresher tires.
With fifteen laps to go, the safety car is off again and the battle for victory begins. Sainz was always less than a second behind Verstappen and tried to grab the lead with the help of DRS (rear wing open for extra speed), but Verstappen deftly and resolutely stopped Ferrari.
Source: NOS
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