Formula 1
Max Verstappen Triumphs in Canada as Red Bull Bounces Back: 2024 Canadian Grand Prix Review
Verstappen secures a crucial win for Red Bull as Norris impresses for McLaren and Mercedes celebrates a podium with Russell, while Ferrari faces a double DNF setback.
The 2024 Canadian Grand Prix delivered a thrilling spectacle filled with unexpected twists and standout performances. In a weekend marked by unpredictable weather and high stakes, Red Bull sought redemption after a challenging outing in Monaco. Max Verstappen secured a commanding victory for Red Bull. McLaren’s Lando Norris came in second after leading the race briefly. Mercedes took home their first trophy of the season as George Russell came in third. However, Ferrari faced a tough weekend, with both cars failing to finish the race.
Free Practice
Mercedes-powered cars led all three practice sessions this weekend, suggesting Red Bull was on the back foot.
Free Practice 1
There was heavy rain before the start of the first practice session, causing a delay in the opening of the pit exit as there was a lot of standing water on the newly resurfaced track. Hamilton was the first driver to explore the track on the green walled intermediate tyres almost halfway into the session.
A short while later, Sauber driver Zhou Guanyu aquaplaned out of turn 4 and collided with the wall, bringing out the red flag. For this session, the number 31 Alpine was sporting 61 as Jack Doohan replaced Esteban Ocon for the first of the year’s two mandatory FP1 rookie sessions. With 5 minutes to go in the session, drivers put on some slick tyres only to find out that the track wasn’t dry enough for the dry tyres. Multiple drivers including Verstappen, Leclerc, and Ricciardo went off the track attempting to find the limits. Mclaren’s Lando Norris set the fastest time of the session of 1:24:435 on the slick tyres while Carlos Sainz set the fastest lap on the intermediate tyres which was 3 seconds off the pace of Norris.
Free Practice 2
All teams were keen on getting some dry running after a wet FP1, except Ferrari, who sent Leclerc out on intermediates even before the rain hit the track with around 20 minutes to go. The highlights of the session included Alex Albon narrowly avoiding colliding into the ‘Wall of Champions’ and Leclerc taking his Ferrari for a spin in the turn 10 hairpin. The fastest lap of the session was set by last year’s podium finisher Fernando Alonso with a time of 1:15:180 on the soft tyres.
Free Practice 3
The final practice was the first completely dry session of the weekend, resulting in the teams making up for the lost dry running in the first two sessions. The session was briefly halted by the red flag brought out by Zhou Ghuanyu who crashed for the second time this weekend, this time out of turn 2, into the pit exit. A driver who just avoided an incident was Charles Leclerc who corrected a slide out of the final chicane. Verstappen and Albon were not so lucky as they both gave a tap to the ‘Wall of Champions’. Seven-time Canadian GP winner Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time of the session at 1:12:549.
Qualifying
Qualifying was probably the most anticipated session of the weekend as the pecking order was not exactly clear after the 3 practice sessions.
Q1 began under dry conditions, but rain was expected sometime in Q2. Defending champion Max Verstappen set the fastest time in Q1 while his teammate Sergio Perez, whose 2-year contract extension with Red Bull was announced earlier that week was P16 and eliminated in Q1 for the second race running. Others eliminated in Q1 included both the Saubers, Hulkenberg, and Ocon, while Sargeant advanced into Q2.
The surprise eliminations in Q2 included both the Ferraris with Leclerc in 11th and Sainz, one worse in 12th. There were some spots of rain in Q2 and Q3 but nothing that would cause tyre changes.
Q3 was neck to neck with Russell and Verstappen setting the same fastest time of 1:12:000 and 3-tenths of a second covering the top seven. Russell was on pole as he set the quickest time before Verstappen who qualified second. Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, and Daniel Ricciardo completed the top 5.
The Race
Everybody started the race on the intermediate tyres except both the Haas cars of Magnussen and Hulkenberg who chose the full wets. The Saubers started from the pitlane as they made setup changes after qualifying.
The entire grid made a tentative start owing to the wet conditions with the top four maintaining their positions and Hamilton and Alonso making up a place each. The first lap saw only one incident as Perez made contact with the Alpine of Pierre Gasly, which was deemed as a racing incident by race control, and no penalties were awarded.
The initial conditions proved to be conducive to the extreme wet tyres. Kevin Magnussen made up 11 positions in the first seven laps and his teammate Nico Hulkenberg made up 9 places, but as the track began to dry out the wet tyres began to fall off due to overheating and both the teammates began conceding places. On lap 8, K Mag made a pitstop for intermediate tyres, but a slow pitstop meant all the progress he made earlier became redundant.
In the full wet condition at the start of the race, Russell and Verstappen were pulling away from the Mclarens of Norris and Piastri, but as the track started drying, the Mclarens found some pace and Norris, with DRS enabled, made moves on the Russell and Verstappen, inheriting the lead of the race. Russell also lost out to Verstappen on the 21st lap.
On the 25th lap, Sargeant spun his Williams and crashed into the wall, bringing out the safety car. Verstappen and Russell pitted on lap 26 for new inters and Norris had to go around one more time before pitting as he had crossed the pit entry by the time the Safety Car was deployed. In this case, the undercut worked and Norris narrowly lost the lead of the race to Verstappen, rejoining the race in P3 behind Russell.
Verstappen managed to keep the lead of the race on the safety car restart but further down the field, Albon pulled off a spectacular double overtake for P9 on Ricciardo and Ocon in the span of a single chicane.
Leclerc had to retire the car on lap 34 as a result of some power unit issues he had been having since the start of the race. As the track dried out, the leaders were the last three cars to make the switch to the slick tyres. They made their stops on lap 45 and 46 with Verstappen maintaining the lead of the race. On lap 53 out of 70, Perez had to retire with a broken rear wing after he crashed on his own. The next lap saw two more retirements as Sainz spun and took out an unfortunate Albon with him, bringing out the safety car. Multiple cars pitted under the safety car.
The last laps of the race saw some hard racing from Piastri, Russell, and Hamilton with Russell and Piastri even making contact once in the final chicane. The last retirement of the race took place on the 66th lap as Tsunoda dropped it out of turn 8 while racing with Esteban Ocon. Verstappen took the chequered flag for his 60th win in F1, followed by Norris. Russell finished P3 to take the first podium of the season for Mercedes and Hamilton and Piastri rounded up the top 5. Hamilton set the fastest lap on the last lap and Norris became the Driver of the Day which is decided by fan voting.
“It was a pretty crazy race” -Verstappen.
“A lot of things were happening and we had to be on top of our calls. I think as a team we just did really well today, we remained calm, and I think we pitted at the right time. Of course, the Safety Car worked out nicely for us, but even after that I think we were managing the gaps quite well. I loved it – that was a lot of fun. Those kinds of races, you need them once in a while!” said Verstappen.
Championship Standings
Verstappen extended his championship lead at the top while Leclerc scored 0 points allowing Norris to close the gap to him.
The three-time world champion, Max Verstappen was ordered ‘community service’ yesterday by the FIA Stewards for ‘swearing’ in the Thursday Press Conference. Max was asked about the pace that Red Bull has during the Azerbaijan GP weekend and he responded with ‘I knew the car was f*****’.
Today after qualifying, Max Verstappen refused to take questions or gave blunt answers in the official FIA ‘Post-Qualifying Press Conference’ and urged the journalist to ‘ask these questions outside of the room.’ Max kept his promise and took questions outside of the Press Conference room.
This move has earned him praises from several journalists that were present in the official Press Conference.
Earlier in the week, Talking Exclusively to Motorsport.com FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has revealed he is making moves to try to change the tone of the content that is aired to fans.
“I mean, we have to differentiate between our sport – motorsport – and rap music,” Ben Sulayem said. “We’re not rappers, you know. They say the F-word how many times per minute? We are not on that. That’s them and we are [us].”
When the F1 drivers were asked about the comment made by Ben Sulayem, Most of the drivers made the disagreement clear that stated that they are unhappy with the stance being taken by the FIA. Lando Norris has warned that F1 will lose the ‘rawness’ if the FIA clamps down on swearing. The seven-time champion, Lewis Hamilton went as far as to accuse the FIA president to have used words of ‘stereotypical’ and ‘racial element’.
“I don’t like how he expressed it. Saying that rappers is very stereotypical and if you think about it, most rappers are black and that really kind of points it towards, when it says: ‘We are not like them’. So I think those are the wrong choice of words. There is a racial element there.” – Lewis Hamilton
The FIA’s President Mohammed Ben Sulayem stance is being ridiculed by not just the Drivers, but also the media and the fans around the world. Although Ben Sulayem has said that the current measures are being taken to combat online abuse, The FIA should find an alternate approach to do the same.
The last time the F1 paddock went racing, we were treated with a dominant run of performance. The only difference was this that this time it was not Max Verstappen at the head of it. Lando Norris had a fantastic run of performance and became the measuring scale of performance. This week, at the Monza GP, we are expecting nothing less. What are all the expected news and what has happened since the last race weekend, catch it all in this F1 Race weekend preview.
TITLE FIGHT
The most significant change that has been seen in the second part of the season is how much the Championship fight has changed.
Max Verstappen currently sits at P1 with 295 points to his name, 70 points ahead of his nearest rival Norris. This looks a big gap for F1 standards but when you consider the massive development that Mclaren has undergone lately, its game on. On the Teams side of things, its close as ever. Redbull Racing are leading with just a 30 point buffer to Mclaren Racing, truly hinting at a fight incoming.
Ferrari in new colors
The crowd favourite for the weekend, Scuderia Ferrari, have revealed new suits and a tweaked livery for the Monza GP.
The Tifosi, as the Ferrari fans proudly call themselves, show up in huge numbers to suport their team every time. On the performance side, Ferrari have been doing better lately with Leclerc scoring a podium at the last race. They are currently sitting in P3, 34 points away from second placed Mclaren. Emotions are also up for Carlos Sainz, who is attending his last Monza GP in Ferrari colors.
Mercedes second seat about to be announced
Many sources have been hinting at a potential announcement of Mercedes protege Andrea Kimi Antonelli for the second seat at Mercedes F1.
In other news, Kimi is also going to take a go in FP1 in Russell’s car. All this seat time will help him get familiar with the know-how of F1. Both the current Mercedes drivers have been full of praise for the Italian, with Hamilton saying he’s excited to see the youngster progress.
Renault personnel to protest at Monza GP
Renault employees are about to protest against the plans of the administration to shut down its F1 operations.
There is also about to be a peaceful protest in the grandstands of the Monza GP. These protests are coming up as the rumors of Alpine switching to Mercedes engines is floating. Also, there has been many personnel changes in the Alpine administration, with most recent change being the stepping down of Bruno Famin, the Team prinicipal of Alpine.
Williams make the change, Sargeant out of F1
Perhaps the biggest bombshell that has dropped this weekend is Williams dropping Logan Sargeant for the rest of the season with immediate effect.
He is being replaced by William Driver academy driver Franco Colapinto. Colapinto was participating in F2 till yet and is P6 in the F2 Championship. With Carlos Sainz set to join Williams for the next season, this news surprised us fans as Colapinto is being given the seat just for a period of 9 races. One person that will be elated will be Colapinto himself, ofcourse. After Sargeant, he has got the perfect opportunity to settle and prove himself at the world stage. Now whether he manages to make full use of this opportnity will be a wait-and-watch affair.
When and Where to watch
All the sessions will streamed on F1TV and Fancode in India.
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The 2024 Dutch GP saw exciting action, unpredictable strategies, and unexpected podium finishes, making it one of the most memorable races of the season. In front of his home crowd, Max Verstappen faced intense competition but couldn’t secure the win, leaving Lando Norris to take the top step of the podium. Here’s a detailed look at how the weekend happened.
Drama Unfolds at Zandvoort
The 2024 Formula 1 season continued its thrilling run as the drivers headed to the tight and technical Circuit Zandvoort. With its narrow, undulating track, this race was expected to challenge both driver skill and team strategy. While Verstappen, racing in front of his home fans, was the favorite, McLaren’s rising form and Lando Norris’ pace posed a serious threat. Rainy conditions added to the unpredictability, making strategy a key player throughout the weekend.
Free Practice 1: A McLaren Statement
Lando Norris set the fastest time in the first practice session (FP1) of the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix, navigating tricky mixed conditions to clock a 1:12.947. The session was interrupted by a brief rain shower, making tyre strategy and timing crucial for all teams.
Max Verstappen finished just 0.130s behind Norris in second place, while Lewis Hamilton showed promising pace, securing third with a time of 1:13.063. The damp track early on led to some drivers struggling with grip, with a few minor off-track moments, including one for Charles Leclerc. The ever-changing weather at Zandvoort added an element of unpredictability, setting the stage for what could be a thrilling weekend.
Russell leads close-fought FP2 as Teams fine-tune setup for Dutch GP
George Russell topped the timesheets in a competitive second practice session at the Dutch GP, clocking a best lap of 1:11.965. The Mercedes driver narrowly edged out Oscar Piastri, who finished just 0.137s behind, while Lewis Hamilton secured third with a 1:12.149, making it a strong session for the Silver Arrows.
Conditions remained dry throughout, allowing teams to focus on race simulations and tire setups after a mixed-weather FP1. Max Verstappen, the home favorite, ended FP2 in fourth, just 0.237s off the pace. The session saw close margins, with the top six drivers within 0.3 seconds of each other, hinting at a tightly contested weekend ahead. Drivers and teams used this crucial hour to better their setups for Saturday’s qualifying, with multiple drivers expressing satisfaction with their car’s balance heading into the rest of the weekend.
Gasly tops eventful FP3 as Sargeant’s Crash halts session
Pierre Gasly set the fastest time in a dramatic FP3 at Zandvoort, posting a lap of 1:12.305. The Alpine driver outpaced home favorite Max Verstappen, who finished second by just 0.069s, while Sergio Perez secured third place for Red Bull.
The session was marred by a heavy crash from Logan Sargeant, who lost control at Turn 2 and slammed into the barriers, bringing out the red flag. Fortunately, the Williams driver walked away unscathed, but the accident shortened the session, with several drivers missing crucial setup time. Despite the disruption, teams managed to gather vital data ahead of qualifying, with Gasly’s performance offering a glimpse of his potential in the upcoming session.
Qualifying: Russell Shines, Norris on Pole
Lando Norris delivered a stunning performance to claim pole position at the 2024 Dutch GP, outpacing reigning champion Max Verstappen and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. In a thrilling qualifying session at Zandvoort, Norris’ remarkable lap secured his second career pole, setting the stage for an exciting showdown in Sunday’s race.
Q1:
The first qualifying session of the 2024 Dutch GP kicked off with the usual intensity, as drivers scrambled to set competitive times. Sergio Perez managed to top the timing sheets with a strong lap, despite some concerns over a potential impeding incident with Lewis Hamilton. The session saw several close calls, and unfortunately, Daniel Ricciardo was one of the notable names who missed out on advancing to Q2 by just over a tenth of a second. Joining him on the sidelines were Esteban Ocon, Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, and Logan Sargeant. Sargeant was unable to participate after crashing in FP3, bringing an early end to his qualifying hopes.
Q2:
Lando Norris dominated Q2 with an impressive lap, beating his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri by a razor-thin margin of just 0.009 seconds. However, the session wasn’t as kind to others. Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton both failed to make it into the top 10 shootout. Sainz, in particular, was edged out in the final moments as late improvements from Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon knocked him out of contention. Yuki Tsunoda, Nico Hulkenberg, and Kevin Magnussen also found themselves eliminated, setting the stage for a tense final session.
Q3:
In the final showdown for pole position, Lando Norris put in a remarkable performance to secure the top spot with a blistering lap of 1:09.673. This stunning effort saw him beat local hero Max Verstappen by over three tenths of a second, a surprising margin given Verstappen’s usual dominance at his home circuit. Oscar Piastri capped off a strong session for McLaren by securing third place, while George Russell managed to take fourth. Sergio Perez slotted into fifth, followed by Charles Leclerc in sixth and Fernando Alonso in seventh, rounding off a thrilling and unpredictable qualifying session at Zandvoort.
Race
In a race brimming with drama, McLaren’s Lando Norris secured a commanding victory at the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix, shattering Max Verstappen’s unbeaten home streak in front of a stunned Zandvoort crowd. With sharp strategies, bold overtakes, and varying pit stop tactics, the race was one to remember.
McLaren’s Moment: Norris dominates
After a steady qualifying session, Lando Norris lined up on the front row but quickly found himself in a chase as Verstappen jumped into the lead at the start. However, Norris remained focused, slowly chipping away at the reigning champion’s lead. By Lap 18, a daring DRS-assisted move saw Norris’s pass Verstappen and take the lead, much to the surprise of the Dutch fans.
From there, the McLaren driver never looked back, stretching his lead to a significant 22.8 seconds by the time the chequered flag waved. The team’s flawless strategy and his expert tire management allowed him to control the pace and seal his victory, making it one of the most significant wins of his career.
Oscar Piastri once again demonstrated his talent, keeping his McLaren in contention for much of the race. After pitting from the lead on Lap 33, Piastri found himself in a fierce battle with Leclerc for third. Though he couldn’t quite get past the Ferrari, Piastri secured a commendable fourth place finish, adding to McLaren’s strong showing.
Verstappen stumbles in front of home crowd
Max Verstappen, looking to extend his dominance at Zandvoort to a fourth consecutive year, initially seemed in control. He managed the early stages well, keeping Norris at bay and navigating the tight corners of the Zandvoort circuit with ease. However, Norris’ relentless pressure coupled with Red Bull’s sub-optimal strategy saw Verstappen fall behind.
Despite switching to hard tires on Lap 27, Verstappen couldn’t regain the upper hand as Norris steadily pulled away. Verstappen was left lamenting handling issues over the radio, commenting that the car “doesn’t respond to my inputs.” In the end, he finished second, a distant 22.8 seconds behind Norris—an uncharacteristic result for the Dutch champion at his home race. Horner told Sky Sports F1-
“Congrats to Lando and McLaren, their car was in a different league today, We did everything we could, Max converted P2 into a lead, but you could see their pace was in a different league.”
Ferrari’s Resilience—Leclerc Grabs the Final Podium Spot
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc had a rollercoaster weekend but ended it with a podium finish. After an impressive start, Leclerc fought his way into third, fending off a charging Oscar Piastri in the closing laps. His performance was one of determination and defense, holding onto the final podium place after a challenging race, a solid P3, a result that the Monegasque admitted he had not expected.
“[I’m] very, very surprised,” Leclerc explained immediately after the Grand Prix. “I’m not very often happy with P3, but I think with today’s race we can be extremely happy with the job we’ve done on a difficult weekend for the team.”
Meanwhile, teammate Carlos Sainz put on a brilliant display of overtaking, muscling past Sergio Perez’s Red Bull to take fifth place after a late-race battle. Ferrari’s strategic calls and aggressive driving earned them vital points as they continue to fight for constructors’ honors.
Mercedes Struggles but Secures Points
For Mercedes, the Dutch GP was mixed. Lewis Hamilton, starting from a compromised grid position, fought his way through the field with a series of impressive overtakes, including one on Nico Hulkenberg at Turn 1. Despite struggling for straight-line speed, Hamilton made it into the top ten, finishing seventh after switching to soft tires late in the race to claim the fastest lap.
George Russell had a similarly challenging Dutch GP but managed to secure sixth, right behind Sainz and Perez. Russell’s consistent performance under pressure showed Mercedes’ persistence, even if they weren’t able to challenge for the podium this weekend.
The Midfield Battles – Gasly and Alonso Fight On
Behind him, the Alpine of Pierre Gasly and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso had a fierce scrap in the midfield.
Gasly’s daring moves earned him ninth place, while Alonso rounded out the points in tenth. The midfield battles were intense, with several wheel-to-wheel moments providing excitement throughout the race.
Drama and Disappointment in the lower order
Not everyone had a successful race at Zandvoort. Hulkenberg’s early momentum faded as he dropped out of the points, finishing in 11th place. The Haas driver could not keep pace with the top ten after a poor tyre strategy and a series of pit stops disrupted his rhythm.
Lance Stroll endured a penalty-ridden race, including a five-second pit lane speed penalty that saw him fall to 13th place after what could have been a points finish. Meanwhile, Williams’ Alex Albon, who started from the back of the grid due to a floor irregularity, finished just outside the points in 14th place after a commendable recovery drive.
At the back, Alfa Romeo’s weekend went from bad to worse, as both Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu finished two laps down, compounding the team’s struggles at the foot of the constructors’ standings.
The 2024 Dutch GP saw McLaren firmly establish itself as a force to be reckoned with, as Lando Norris took a commanding victory at the Dutch GP. Max Verstappen may have missed out on winning his home race, but his consistent performance keeps him well-positioned in the championship. For Mercedes and Ferrari, it was a weekend of mixed fortunes, with Russell showing flashes of brilliance but ultimately unable to challenge the McLarens and Red Bulls at the front. As the season moves forward, the rivalry between these top teams promises more electrifying races.
Next Stop: Monza—The Temple of Speed Awaits
The 2024 Formula 1 season heads to Monza for the Italian Grand Prix from August 30 to September 1. Known for its blistering speeds and passionate Tifosi, Monza’s high-speed straights and tight chicanes will push drivers and teams to the limit as the championship battle heats up.
Championship Standings after the race:
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