Max Verstappen wins Canadian Grand Prix

Verstappen, 24, took his sixth victory of the year by winning on the track. Gilles Villeneuve From Montreal in front of Sainz, who signed his eleventh podium in F1; and seven-time British world champion Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) finished third in a race behind fellow Spaniard, double Asturian world champion Fernando Alonso (Alps), finishing ninth after receiving a five-second penalty that cost him two places. ; and that Mexican Sergio Pérez, who was a friend of the leader and only retained second place in the championship, was abandoned.

He finished second on the grid the day after Alonso and this Sunday he won a ‘virtual security car’ and another “normal” safety car, before being penalized for weaving, to maintain his position at the end of the race – it was compatriot Sainz who landed the young Dutch star in serious trouble while he was shining in the rain in qualifying; Overcoming the pressure placed on him by the talented rider from Madrid, he scored his twenty-sixth victory in his first freshman class in Canada.

Verstappen now leads the World Cup with 175 points, 46 over ‘Checo’ and 49 over Monegasque. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), the protagonist of the day’s comeback, started nineteenth and finished fifth: behind the other Mercedes, Brit George Russell; and in front of two Alpines in a race with the French Stephen Ocon He developed a position at the finish line to his Spanish teammate; after the sanction Finn Valtteri finished ninth behind Bottas’ Alfa Romeo and the Chinese Guanyu Zhouseventh and eighth, finally.

Stubborn as he signed his sixteenth ‘pol’ in the Queen category, Verstappen first started in Montreal; here—after showing off in the rainy qualifying runners-up—Alonso returned to the front lines of an F1 race ten years later. Sainz started from second place to third with Hamilton, who had an unprecedented seven wins in Canada and had his second podium finish this Sunday; and the fifth – Danish Kevin Magnussen – and the sixth – ahead of the surprising Haas, the German Mike Schumacher in the main schedule.

‘Checo’ injured in Q2 where he was eliminated; started from the thirteenth place; The other Ferrari, Leclerc – first penalized twice for replacing the control unit and the turbo of the power unit – did this next to the Japanese under the grille. yuki tsunoda (Alpha Tauri), starting last. Unlike the last free training and qualifying laps held on Saturday, in the race held on dry ground with precipitation and changing conditions; and where everyone comes out with a medium compound tire.

Thus, Verstappen had a unique opportunity to consolidate an advantage that would allow him to celebrate his second consecutive title. And right after Sainz, whose first victory in F1 was starting to boil, made him sweat on the beautiful artificial island, he did not miss the opportunity by preparing his statement of intent. notre-dameThe one that washes the San Lorenzo River.

new sports idol Holland It went well and Alonso held out until the third round, where he was, as expected, overtaken by compatriot Sainz; so the double Asturian world champion was third – sharing the same interests as the previous one -, advancing three places and ahead of Mercedes of Hamilton and Russell, who were already fifth.

On the ninth lap ‘Checo’s Red Bull ‘drowned’, wrapping up a weekend of misfortune and ending its performance due to a malfunction that looked like the engine but was officially the transmission. Verstappen complaining of a certain ‘graining’ and Hamilton-, who changed drastically like the previous one and returned to the track after Ocon, found the opportunity to enter the penalty area; In historic moments for Spanish motorsport, its two drivers temporarily lead an F1 race. ‘Mad Max’.

The World Championship leader passed Alonso in the fifteenth lap and began fast laps to catch Carlos. After twentieth year, when Mick retired, something happened that stopped Haas where he left off.Check‘ -the ninth corner- and a virtual security tool was decided. Something that benefits anyone who can stop at the time, including Sainz; but not to Alonso who did not; and it kept rolling and losing ground with the media

On lap 24, Sainz returned to the track after Verstappen, who was nine seconds ahead of both the Madrid driver and Hamilton when he passed Fernando. Russell and with or; He was already in the provisional seventh place with Leclerc, who started with the hard and has not stopped yet.

Alonso stalled on lap 29 and was back on the track – forgetting the podium – seventh, behind Monegasque, with Sainz running fast laps and running second, eight seconds behind. Verstappen.

Crossed the equator of the test, The Dutchman was leading with seven seconds and four tenths ahead of Sainz, in form, he pushed hard, realizing that he was facing a great opportunity. Hamilton finished third at 17 and Russell fourth at 26.

Leclerc made a bad stop on lap 42 and was back on the twelfth circuit. 43. Verstappen did it – difficult – re-entering behind Hamilton, it came in handy. Carlos who started dreaming obviously to his first victory in the motorsport honor division.

‘Sir’ Lewis He entered the garage later, again hard, an operation where he repeated a turn after Russell. Implying that the idea of ​​going to a single stop is starting to fade; and that Carlos had to stand still.

The Madrid man prayed for a safety car to enter the track; and this came thanks to Tsunoda’s accident as the Japanese left.boxes‘. The moment Sainz took advantage of backing onto the track, behind Verstappen and ahead of Hamilton, to stop the hard one and put it back on.

The Alps also stopped – they put the media – and turned to the asphalt behind. MercedesOcon is fifth and Alonso is sixth. Right in front of Leclerc.

The ‘safety car’ retired with 16 laps, Carlos in second place, and a tire six laps younger than the ‘Mad Max’ tire, showing his nickname, pulled like crazy to open a gap and tried to beat the Spaniards. of the region DRS, which would open three rounds later. Something the Madrid man denied her was aware of that it could be her big day.

At Hairpin, Leclerc passed in his absence 11 rounds, Alonso, who crossed the finish line in seventh place and finished ninth last after receiving a penalty; While Sainz continues to put pressure on the Dutch; and Monegasque a little later passed Ocon for fifth place and signed the comeback of the day.

Sainz had the best race of the year, the fastest lap and to make the championship leader suffer.

“It was too close to be satisfied” after the race, the Scuderia’s Spaniard commented, but that “the best“Of the nine people discussed this season.

Regardless, Verstappen will be in and out of the English circuit at Silverstone, the site of the first race in F1 history in 1950, which will host the next Grand Prix in two weekends. The first of the four races to be held in Europe during July will also be races in Europe. Austria (on Spielberg’s Red Bull Ring), France (Le Castellet) and Hungary (Hungary, on the outskirts of Budapest) before the holiday break.