Max Verstappen (Red bull Racing) seized the lead on lap 49 of the 70-lap race when Lando Norris (McLaren) made a pit stop. Despite staying out longer than any other driver on intermediate tires as the track dried, Norris lacked the grip that Verstappen had on the damp pit exit, allowing Verstappen to take the lead.
Victory in the rain: Verstappen takes the Canadian Grand Prix
Max Verstappen secured his sixth victory of the season, finishing ahead of Lando Norris in a tumultuous race that began on a wet track and featured several safety car interventions.
After the final restart, Verstappen maintained his position and pulled away from Norris with 12 laps remaining. Norris managed to hold onto second place, finishing ahead of the Mercedes duo, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton.
Mercedes battle
In the closing laps, Russell briefly dropped to fifth after a spin-off-track excursion while battling Oscar Piastri. However, he regained ground, overtaking both Piastri and Hamilton to secure the final podium spot.
Russell, who started from pole position, led the race early on, with Verstappen and Norris close behind, as the soaked track from a pre-race shower created challenging conditions.
The Haas drivers, Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg, started on wet tires, unlike the rest of the field on intermediates, gaining positions early due to their superior traction. Magnussen reached the top five but quickly fell out of contention after a slow pit stop rendered the wet tires ineffective.
Dramatic race
The race’s first safety car was deployed following Logan Sargeant’s crash, prompting the leaders to switch to new intermediate tires despite a drying track, anticipating more rain. As the track began to dry again, the McLarens of Norris and Piastri appeared to be the fastest. However, Norris may have stayed out a lap too long.
Hamilton moved into fifth during the first safety car period and was the first among the top five to switch to slick tires, triggering a chain reaction of pit stops from Verstappen, Russell, and Piastri.
While McLaren celebrated having both drivers in the top five and Verstappen added to his points tally, Ferrari had a dismal race, losing significant ground in the constructors’ championship. Charles Leclerc retired early due to an engine issue and a poor strategic decision to switch to slick tires during the first safety car.
Leclerc had to pit again, went a lap down, and eventually retired. His teammate, Carlos Sainz, then triggered the second safety car period after spinning and colliding with Alex Albon on lap 54, causing both to retire and leaving neither Ferrari nor Williams with a car finishing the race.
We hope you enjoyed this article about Canadian GP, If you did, please share it with others. You might also be interested in reading our article about Roland Garros 2024, or browsing other reviews in our Active section.