Max Verstappen and Red Bull bounced back from their Monaco struggles as they returned to winning ways in an action-packed Canadian Grand Prix, overcoming rain showers, multiple Safety Car periods, restarts and a stern challenge from behind to lead home Lando Norris.
In a thrilling race marked by changing conditions and dramatic incidents, Max Verstappen emerged victorious after navigating early challenges and strategic battles at the latest Grand Prix. Initially trailing pole-sitter George Russell of Mercedes in the wet conditions, Verstappen capitalized on an opportune Safety Car period to secure his lead.
Lando Norris, who had impressively overtaken both Russell and Verstappen amid improving track conditions, found his efforts thwarted by the Safety Car brought out due to Logan Sargeant’s crash. This incident dropped the McLaren driver to third, despite his earlier charge.
Verstappen then executed a flawless restart, maintaining his lead through subsequent rain showers and a switch from intermediate to slick tyres. His position was further tested by a second Safety Car, triggered by a collision between Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, but he managed to hold his ground.
Norris claimed second place after a fierce mid-race battle with Russell. The latter secured third after intense late-race duels with his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton and the second McLaren of Oscar Piastri. The two Mercedes drivers, having pitted for fresh slicks during the second Safety Car, engaged in multiple wheel-to-wheel encounters, with Russell making a decisive move for third on the penultimate lap.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and local favorite Lance Stroll achieved a double points finish, while Daniel Ricciardo marked his return to form with an eighth-place finish, securing his first points of the season. Ricciardo’s teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, was on course for points but a late mistake saw him slide off track, allowing Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon to secure a double top-10 finish for Alpine.
Haas drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen, who gambled on starting the race with wet tyres, initially surged through the field but ultimately finished just outside the points in 11th and 12th positions, respectively.
The weekend at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve was marked by mixed weather, leading to an unpredictable and dramatic qualifying session. Sergio Perez exited in Q1, both Ferraris failed to advance past Q2, and George Russell secured pole position over Max Verstappen with identical lap times.
On Sunday morning, heavy rain soaked the track again, and although conditions began to improve just over an hour before the 14:00 local start time, the surface remained wet. Additional drizzle meant drivers used intermediate and wet tyres on their laps to the grid. Esteban Ocon started from the back due to a penalty from Monaco, while Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu moved to the pit lane after Kick Sauber changed their rear wings.
As the tyre blankets came off, most drivers opted for intermediate tyres, with Haas taking a different approach by fitting wet tyres for Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg.
At the start, Russell maintained his lead over Verstappen into the first corner. McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri followed closely, while Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton overtook fifth-placed qualifier Daniel Ricciardo.
The decision to use wet tyres initially seemed beneficial for Haas, as Kevin Magnussen climbed to eighth place, ahead of home favorite Lance Stroll. Stroll narrowly avoided a collision when Charles Leclerc misjudged his braking at the final chicane, forcing him to take to the run-off area.
As predicted, another band of rain arrived, further advantaging the Haas drivers. Magnussen quickly overtook Daniel Ricciardo, Lewis Hamilton, and Fernando Alonso, moving up to fifth place, while Nico Hulkenberg entered the points, just behind Stroll.
Race leader George Russell received a message indicating the current rain was the worst expected. Russell led Max Verstappen by a few seconds, while Magnussen continued his charge, closing in on Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s McLarens.
Magnussen, lapping significantly faster than the cars ahead, soon passed Piastri for fourth place. Meanwhile, Hulkenberg overtook Stroll and Ricciardo to move up to eighth, providing the Haas team with plenty of reasons to be pleased with their tyre strategy.
Further back, Ferrari’s Leclerc and Carlos Sainz remained stuck in the midfield, out of the points. Leclerc’s situation worsened when his engineer reported an unusual engine issue that the team was investigating.
As Kevin Magnussen appeared poised to challenge Lando Norris, the rain eased, and patches of blue sky emerged, signaling a shift back towards intermediate tyres. This prompted Magnussen to pit for the green-marked rubber on Lap 8, although the Haas mechanics were unprepared for his arrival.
With the track conditions continuously evolving, there were several incidents on the circuit. Logan Sargeant had a scare at Turn 6, Fernando Alonso had moments at the final chicane and exiting Turn 1, and Lewis Hamilton ran wide at Turn 1, traversing over the grass.
Replays from the opening lap confirmed contact between Sergio Perez and Pierre Gasly in the rear-of-the-field bottleneck at Turn 2, resulting in damaged bodywork for both drivers. Additionally, stewards noted a potential false start from Daniel Ricciardo.
Charles Leclerc expressed frustration over radio messages to the Ferrari pit wall, citing difficulties overtaking due to ongoing engine issues. Despite this, Leclerc managed to climb to 10th, the final points-paying position, at this stage.
Meanwhile, at the front of the pack, George Russell maintained his lead as conditions improved gradually. Max Verstappen closed the gap to 1.2 seconds, with Norris trailing six seconds behind in third and Piastri a similar distance adrift of his teammate.
With Nico Hulkenberg still on wet tyres and a dry racing line emerging, Daniel Ricciardo made a bold move past him into the final chicane, securing seventh place. However, Ricciardo’s joy was short-lived as he received a five-second time penalty moments later for his earlier false start. Subsequently, Hulkenberg opted to pit for intermediates, recognizing the changing track conditions.
Messages to race leader George Russell indicated the expectation of another rain shower in 20 minutes, adding to the pressure as Max Verstappen closed in. Russell expressed concern about the tyre wear, highlighting the challenge of managing the intermediates.
By Lap 15, Verstappen was relentlessly pursuing Russell, both drivers seeking wet patches to preserve their intermediate tyres. Lando Norris also made significant gains, closing the gap to the leaders. The question lingered: would the track dry sufficiently for slick tyres before more rain fell?
Verstappen’s attempt to find grip saw him briefly venture onto the grass at Turn 1, narrowly avoiding disaster as he rejoined the track ahead of Norris. Norris capitalized on the introduction of DRS overtaking aid, pressuring Verstappen over the following laps.
By Lap 20, Norris executed a DRS-assisted move to overtake Verstappen, with Russell next in his sights. The following lap, Norris expertly repeated the maneuver on Russell to claim the lead of the race.
Following Lando Norris’s overtake, George Russell went straight on at the final chicane, allowing Max Verstappen to pass him as he rejoined the track. The stewards took note of this incident for investigation.
Norris continued to set fastest laps, extending his lead over Verstappen, while Russell faced pressure from Oscar Piastri. However, the race took a crucial turn when Logan Sargeant’s spin triggered double yellow flags and a Safety Car.
Verstappen, Russell, Piastri, Fernando Alonso, and Lewis Hamilton all pitted for fresh intermediate tyres. However, Norris, who had built a substantial 10-second lead, missed the chance to pit and had to complete another lap.
As the drivers returned to the track after their stops, only Yuki Tsunoda, Esteban Ocon, and Valtteri Bottas remained on their current tyres. Verstappen and Russell capitalized on the situation, reclaiming first and second positions over Norris.
Just before the Safety Car period ended on Lap 29, Charles Leclerc made a bold move by pitting for slick tyres despite ongoing power unit issues. Meanwhile, another band of rain loomed on the radar.
Verstappen led the field into Turn 1 after the Safety Car restart, with Norris holding third ahead of Piastri, Hamilton, Alonso, Tsunoda, and Stroll. Sergio Perez made a double move on Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon to climb to ninth.
As the race progressed, Norris continued to dominate in the mixed conditions, setting faster lap times than Russell and Verstappen. Pierre Gasly opted for slick tyres on Lap 40, with other teams closely monitoring his sector times.
After some rapid lap times, Lando Norris locked up and ran wide at Turn 1, allowing Oscar Piastri to close in on him. George Russell reported losing time due to Norris’s action.
Pierre Gasly’s switch to hard tyres prompted several drivers, including Lewis Hamilton, Daniel Ricciardo, Carlos Sainz, Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas, and Kevin Magnussen, to pit for mediums. However, Charles Leclerc retired due to ongoing issues.
Piastri, Fernando Alonso, Yuki Tsunoda, Lance Stroll, Esteban Ocon, Alex Albon, Nico Hulkenberg, and Zhou Guanyu followed suit with their pit stops, while Max Verstappen, Russell, and Norris stayed out for another lap.
Verstappen and Russell eventually pitted for slicks, with Norris continuing on intermediates. Norris finally pitted on Lap 47, rejoining alongside Verstappen. Russell capitalized on a mistake from Norris to pass him for second, but he made an error himself at the Turn 3/4 chicane, allowing Norris to retake second place.
Sergio Perez slid into the barriers at Turn 6, retiring from the race. Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon collided at Turn 7, leading to a Safety Car deployment.
Russell and Hamilton opted to pit for medium tyres under the Safety Car, slotting behind Verstappen, Norris, and Piastri at the restart. The race saw intense battles for the final podium spot between Piastri, Russell, and Hamilton, with the drivers narrowly avoiding collisions.
On Lap 64, George Russell and Oscar Piastri made contact at the last chicane, prompting an investigation by the stewards. This incident dropped Russell behind his teammate Lewis Hamilton. Two laps later, Hamilton cleared Piastri at the same spot, securing third place.
Russell managed to overtake Piastri on Lap 67 before closing in on Hamilton’s car. Despite “keep it clean” messages from the Mercedes pit wall, Russell passed Hamilton for third on the penultimate lap.
Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda lost control of his car at the Turn 8/9 chicane, sliding over the grass. Although he managed to recover, he was no longer in contention for points.
Max Verstappen secured his sixth victory of the season, followed by Lando Norris in second and Russell in third. Hamilton finished fourth, ahead of Piastri and the Aston Martins. Daniel Ricciardo and the Alpines completed the points, with Esteban Ocon frustrated by team orders.
Haas narrowly missed out on points in 11th and 12th place, while Tsunoda regretted his mistake, finishing in 14th between the Kick Sauber drivers. Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez, Charles Leclerc, and Logan Sargeant retired from the race due to various incidents.
