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Rain, safety cars, strategic risks, performance fluctuations, numerous errors, and a surprisingly high number of retirements – the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix in Formula 1 was not aesthetically pleasing, but it was highly entertaining.
Although in the end there was a predictable winner in championship leader Max Verstappen, there were other teams that had reasons to celebrate, even if they only realize it later.
Here are our picks for the day’s highlights and disappointments.
If you thought that qualifying in 11th and 12th place would be the low point for the Monaco Grand Prix winners in Canada, you would be mistaken.
Painful reliability issues? Checked. Making a disastrous bet on slick tires? Checked. Involved in numerous collisions? Checked. Spinning and losing valuable points? Checked.
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz had an abysmal Sunday with few positive moments to speak of.
Even Sainz’s brief stint in the points only put him on par with Williams and Alpines, far from challenging the top four teams.
This allowed McLaren to significantly reduce Ferrari’s advantage in the constructors’ championship and dashed any faint hopes Leclerc may have had of challenging for the title, making it even more unlikely.
No team left Montreal with more confusion about their lack of performance than Ferrari, as this weekend was a perplexingly bad outlier in a season that has shown so much progress. – Josh Suttill
George Russell securing pole position and leading a substantial part of the race, only to finish third, may seem like a reason to consider Mercedes a loser today.
However, that is not the case for the period from 2014-2021.
In this season, Mercedes is far from being a title contender and had not even achieved a podium before Canada.
Considering their usual position, the fact that they are competing for such results in Montreal is highly encouraging for Mercedes. This speaks volumes about their post-2021 life. Perhaps this marked the beginning of their recovery narrative, or perhaps it was just another false start. – Matt Beer
In Canada, Sergio Perez continued to display a mediocre performance that raises doubts about whether he deserves another two years with the championship-leading team.
He was eliminated in Q1 (once again) and, for most of the race, struggled to move up from last position after an incident in the first corner with Pierre Gasly. He eventually retired after a solitary accident.
The stark difference between Perez returning to the pits with his damaged car while Verstappen headed for victory was evident. However, this is not surprising, as the gap between the two Red Bull drivers and Perez’s ability to have such bad weekends is already well established. However, this does not seem to harm his future with the team. – MB
Max Verstappen secured his second win in three races and his sixth of the season in Canada, but the result could have been different.
He closely followed Russell for a significant part of the race and seemed to be setting up for a lead overtaking move when he made a mistake in Turn 1, costing him three seconds and allowing Lando Norris to close in.
However, Verstappen seized the opportunity to make a pit stop for new intermediate tires during the first safety car period, taking the lead while Norris had to complete one more lap behind the safety car before changing tires.
In dry conditions, Verstappen stood out during the second safety car restart, winning by a margin of 3.8 seconds and earning 25 points. However, things were not as straightforward as they seemed for the previously dominant Red Bull driver.
A late-race battle between McLaren and Mercedes played into Verstappen’s hands, as the latter team had their drivers pit to change tires during the second safety car period, while Verstappen and the McLarens stayed out on track. This victory rebuilds Verstappen’s championship lead to 56 points. – Samarth Kanal
It seems that every weekend there is a moment when Logan Sargeant’s lap times deserve recognition for how they compare to his highly-rated teammate at Williams, Alex Albon, especially considering any equipment differences between them.
However, these fleeting moments of brilliance are often followed by evidence that Sargeant is clearly on his way out of the team and Formula 1. He will be lucky to complete the season before his departure. In this case, it was due to an early race mistake that saw him go off track and eventually lead to his crash.
It is worth noting that the more experienced driver who will likely replace Sargeant in 2025, Sainz, also crashed in Montreal, taking Albon’s Williams out of contention on a day when Albon could have scored points. However, poor performances are the exception for Sainz, while they are the norm for Sargeant. – MB
Alpine came out as the winner on track, scoring three crucial points in Canada to strengthen their lead over Williams and Sauber in the battle for eighth place in the constructors’ championship. Pierre Gasly finished ninth and Esteban Ocon tenth. However, team orders may have created a headache for the team ahead of Spain.
Gasly started in 15th place and Ocon in 18th place, with Ocon penalized with a five-place grid penalty in Monaco. If Sauber had not chosen a pitlane start for their drivers, Ocon would have started from the back of the grid.
By the second safety car restart, Ocon was in ninth place and Gasly in 11th. Ocon overtook Yuki Tsunoda, and Gasly entered the points when Tsunoda spun later on. That’s when tensions arose.
Ocon was instructed to let Gasly pass so he could challenge Daniel Ricciardo ahead, but Ocon protested. Later, he yielded and asked the team to swap positions again, but the team did not comply. The team justified their decision by claiming that Ocon had a suspected issue with the power unit, which made them more confident in Gasly’s ability to attack Ricciardo.
While Alpine secured valuable points in Canada, this incident further disheartened Ocon, who had already faced public criticism from team boss Bruno Famin after an internal incident in Monaco. It also strained the already tense relationship between the two drivers. – SK
Yuki Tsunoda had been on a streak of three consecutive weekends scoring points before Canada, and this race could have been the fourth.
The Red Bull driver qualified in eighth place and was running there until the second safety car period, but his chances of scoring points quickly disappeared after that.
With just four laps to go, Tsunoda spun and almost collided with three other cars, dropping to 15th place.
Tsunoda not only missed the opportunity to score points, but also couldn’t hold off his teammate Ricciardo, who finished in eighth place.
Fortunately for the team, currently in sixth place in the constructors’ championship before Spain, Ricciardo’s points result increased their advantage over Haas to 19 points. – SK
After scoring only four points in the last three races, Aston Martin’s sixth and seventh places, earning them 14 points, provide a much-needed boost to their season. It’s hard to argue that anything more was possible.
The Aston Martin car clearly wasn’t on the same level as the top three teams this weekend, but the team took advantage of Ferrari’s struggles and Perez’s poor performance.
Instead of taking unnecessary risks, both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll executed a sensible and well-managed race.
Alonso bravely tried to keep Lewis Hamilton at bay, but losing positions during the first safety car period put an end to that, while Stroll showed patience in overtaking the Red Bulls to maintain his strong performance at home. – JS
Haas is no stranger to making bold decisions in unpredictable weather conditions. At the 2020 Hungarian Grand Prix, Kevin Magnussen climbed from 16th to ninth place after making a pit stop for rain tires during the formation lap.
With rain falling before the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix, Haas tried another strategic move by equipping Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg with rain tires instead of intermediates. This decision paid off, as both drivers made it to the top 10, with Magnussen even briefly holding fourth place early in the race.
However, as the racing line dried up, Haas’ chances of scoring points also dried up.
Both drivers eventually decided to pit for intermediates, dropping out of the top 10 and having to regain lost ground for the rest of the race.
Hulkenberg finished in 11th place and Magnussen in 12th place. With five retirements in the race, Haas could have done better if they had started their drivers on intermediate tires and followed the prevailing trend. – SK
© 2024
The sports world is in shock with the breaking news that has just emerged. According to reliable sources, one of the greatest football players in the world is about to retire. Lionel Messi, the Argentine star from Barcelona, may be bidding farewell to the football pitch soon.
At 36 years old, Messi has already won all the major titles in world football. With his unparalleled skill and exceptional vision on the field, he has become a true icon of the sport. However, it seems that the end of his career is near.
Rumors about Messi’s retirement started circulating after a recent interview where he expressed his desire to spend more time with his family. Furthermore, recurring injuries have limited his performance in recent years, which may have influenced his decision.
Although there is no official announcement yet, the possibility of Messi’s retirement is already causing concern among fans and experts. After all, it will be hard to imagine football without the presence of this genius on the field.
While we await more information, let us cherish every moment that Messi is still playing. Whatever his final decision may be, his contribution to the sport will never be forgotten. Thank you for everything, Messi!
