Max Verstappen returned to the winning ways after a thrilling win in Canada. The Dutchman, who started in 2nd place behind George Russell, once again proved his expertise in wet weather claiming his 60th win in F1 and third in a row in Canada.
Mercedes upgrades brought the life back in the Silver arrows as Russell claimed pole position in the qualifying. Verstappen again lacked a bit of pace in the car and was overtaken by Lando Norris in the early part of the race. McLaren again looked faster than any other car on the grid as he attacked Russell to claim P1.
As the two British drivers went toe to toe to claim the lead of the race, Russell went off the track to hand Verstappen 2nd place. Logan Sargeant went into the wall going over the curb resulting in a safety car. Red Bull took full advantage as they pitted Verstappen under the safety car to take the lead of the race. The Dutchman never really looked back and claimed his third successive win in Canada to increase his Championship lead over Leclerc to 56 points.
Perez Continues To Struggle
The other Red Bull driver Sergio Perez continued to struggle after yet another disappointing weekend. The Mexican, who recently extended his contract with Red Bull, was eliminated in Q1 in Saturday’s qualifying. Perez spun in the 53rd lap of the race resulting in a wing damage. The 34-year-old had to limp back to the pits to retire his car.
The misery did not end there for the Mexican driver, as he was handed a three-place grid penalty for the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix for avoiding a potential Safety Car situation by continuing on the track with a significantly damaged car, scattering carbon fiber pieces on the track.
His teammate Max Verstappen did not hold back and let his feelings clear about Perez’s recent performances.
When Lando Norris was told to comment on McLaren’s improved form in the post-race press conference, Verstappen interfered and shouted “But they have two cars.” This dig was aimed at Sergio Perez as the Mexican has failed to help Max Verstappen score points for their team in recent races.
“Yeah, of course. I think the damage was done yesterday [Saturday qualifying]. It’s very hard in these conditions. I saw him retire with the damage. So I knew that I had to score big, of course, to not let the other teams catch up a lot”. Verstappen added.
The three-time World Champion recently hailed the Mexican’s decision to extend his contract. “It is great news that Checo has signed with the team until 2026 and I am glad to be able to continue with the successful partnership that we have created over the past few years“. Verstappen said. “We achieved a record-breaking season last year and the team is very strong so we are looking forward to building on this success into the next two years as well”.
Driver’s Standings
Leclerc’s DNF meant Max Verstappen tightened his grip on the driver’s standings. Lando Norris is in close quarters with the Monégasque after yet another podium. Carlos Sainz, who also suffered a DNF, is in fourth with Perez completing the top 5.
- Max Verstappen – 194 (Red Bull Racing)
- Charles Leclerc – 138 (Ferrari)
- Lando Norris – 131 (McLaren)
- Carlos Sainz – 108 (Ferrari)
- Sergio Perez – 107 (Red Bull Racing)
Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
