Max Verstappen, the race winner, celebrated in the parc fermé after an exciting Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix. Despite challenging conditions and multiple restarts, Verstappen emerged victorious, overcoming strong competition from his rivals.
Lando Norris, who was in a strong position to win for the second time, was hindered by a Safety Car, which dashed his hopes and relegated him to second place. Meanwhile, George Russell, who started on pole position, finished in third.
Weather played a significant role throughout the race, with intermittent rain before the start. Haas took a gamble by equipping their drivers with rain tires, anticipating an increase in precipitation. The rest of the cars opted for intermediate tires.
The race start was slow and cautious due to the dangerous conditions. Russell managed to maintain his lead over Verstappen, while Norris and Oscar Piastri held their positions in the McLaren cars. Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton pushed Daniel Ricciardo down to seventh place.
As the race progressed, the rain tires proved to be the ideal choice for the conditions. Haas’ Kevin Magnussen quickly overtook several cars, including Lance Stroll, Ricciardo, Hamilton, and Alonso. Magnussen’s teammate, Nico Hulkenberg, also made progress and moved up to eighth place.
However, as the sun came out and track conditions improved, the top three cars began setting faster laps than Magnussen. Alonso defended his position against Hamilton, who had the opportunity to overtake but was squeezed against the wall by the Aston Martin driver.
Haas made a pit stop on lap 8 to switch to intermediate tires, but the mechanics were not prepared, resulting in a slow stop. Verstappen closed in on Russell, setting the fastest lap on lap 10. Meanwhile, Norris was over seven seconds behind the top two.
Ricciardo finally overtook Magnussen on lap 11, but later received a five-second penalty for a start infringement. Stroll, Leclerc, and Tsunoda easily passed Hulkenberg, who was struggling with slower lap times on the intermediate tires.
Verstappen made a mistake, locking up his tires at turn 1 and going off track, allowing Norris to apply pressure. With a drier racing line emerging, the stewards enabled the DRS on lap 18, giving Norris a better chance to attack Verstappen.
Norris took advantage of the DRS on lap 20, passing Verstappen and taking the lead. Russell, struggling with rain on his tires, had a moment that allowed Verstappen to also overtake him.
In the distance, Leclerc had an issue with his engine, leaving him vulnerable to Alex Albon. As a result, the Williams car passed him, knocking Leclerc out of the points. Sargeant’s unlucky race came to an abrupt end on lap 25, when he lost control of his car on a kerb and spun at turn 4. This incident triggered the Safety Car.
Norris decided not to pit for intermediate tires, which ultimately cost him. By the time he finally pitted on the following lap, Verstappen and Russell had already passed him. The race resumed on lap 30, with Verstappen leading Russell, Norris, Piastri, Hamilton, Alonso, Tsunoda, Stroll, Ocon, and Ricciardo in the top ten positions.
Albon took the opportunity to gain two positions by overtaking Ricciardo and Ocon. However, Ferrari’s gamble did not pay off, as Leclerc struggled with slick tires. He was forced to return to the pits at a slower pace and switch back to intermediate tires. This delay resulted in blue flags being shown to him as the leaders approached.
Verstappen maintained control of the race at the front, steadily increasing his lead over Russell to three seconds when DRS was activated again on lap 40. Alpine decided it was the right time to try slick tires, with Gasly being the first to make the switch. Unfortunately, Leclerc’s race came to an end on lap 43 when Ferrari called him into the pits to retire the car.
Hamilton was closely following the two McLaren cars in fifth place. Mercedes decided to bring the seven-time champion into the pits and switch to medium tires. However, Russell and Norris did not receive the same instruction and remained on track. Piastri responded to the call and exited the pits with Hamilton still in his mirrors.
Verstappen and Russell made pit stops on lap 45, with the Mercedes driver opting for hard tires instead of mediums. Meanwhile, Norris continued to circulate on intermediate tires.
The strategy of staying out longer worked for Norris, as he rejoined the track ahead of Verstappen. However, Verstappen used the heat in his tires to regain the position.
Norris faced intense pressure from Russell and his teammate Piastri. On lap 49, Norris locked up his tires at the corner, giving Russell the opportunity to take second place.
But Russell’s progress was short-lived. On lap 51, he ran wide at the chicane of turns 8 and 9, allowing Norris to reclaim the position.
Despite suspension issues, Verstappen continued to increase his advantage. However, his teammate Perez lost control of his car and crashed into the wall at turn 6.
Perez managed to return to the pits with a broken rear wing to avoid the entry of the Safety Car. This would have reduced the advantage Verstappen had built.
Unfortunately for Red Bull, Sainz spun at the same corner where Perez crashed, causing a collision with Albon. This added two more retirements to the race.
Mercedes took advantage of the interruption to bring both cars to the pits and switch to medium tires. This promoted Piastri to third position, while Russell dropped to fourth and Hamilton to fifth.
The race resumed on lap 58, with Verstappen once again leading the pack. McLaren’s focus was on maintaining their podium positions rather than challenging Verstappen.
Russell tried to overtake Piastri for third place, but was unsuccessful. On the following lap, Russell and Piastri collided at the chicane, allowing Hamilton to pass both and take third place.
Piastri’s position continued to drop, as Russell cleanly overtook him and closed in on his teammate for third place.
There was drama elsewhere on the track, as Tsunoda ran wide and lost control of his car, dropping from eighth to 14th place.
In the final laps, Russell overtook Hamilton using DRS on the pit straight. He managed to defend his position from Hamilton’s attacks.
On the last lap, Russell secured third place, with Hamilton finishing behind him. Verstappen claimed the victory, followed by Norris in second place.
Piastri finished a distant fifth, while Alonso led the Aston Martin duo in sixth and seventh place. Stroll also scored points in his home race, finishing in sixth place.
Ricciardo converted his strong starting position into an eighth place, with Gasly and Ocon taking the two Alpine cars into the points zone.
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Soccer star Lionel Messi signs a millionaire contract with Paris Saint-Germain
After a long negotiation, the famous soccer player Lionel Messi finally signed a millionaire contract with Paris Saint-Germain. The Argentine ace, who spent his entire career at Barcelona, will now move to the French club in a historic transfer. The news was received with great enthusiasm by soccer fans around the world.
Messi, considered one of the greatest players of all time, left Barcelona after 21 successful years. During his time at the Spanish club, he won numerous titles and set impressive records. Now, he will have the opportunity to shine at Paris Saint-Germain alongside other great football names like Neymar and Mbappé.
Messi’s transfer to PSG was a surprise to many, as it was expected that he would stay at Barcelona. However, financial problems faced by the Spanish club made it impossible to renew the player’s contract. Paris Saint-Germain seized the opportunity and offered Messi a lucrative contract that he could not refuse.
With Messi’s arrival, Paris Saint-Germain becomes even stronger and solidifies its position as one of the top football clubs in the world. The team now has a powerful attack, capable of unbalancing any match. The expectation is that Messi will continue to showcase his talent and make history at the French club.
Barcelona fans are saddened by Messi’s departure, but they also understand the difficult situation the club is facing. The player has left an indelible mark on Barcelona and will always be remembered as a club legend. Now, it’s time to start a new chapter in his career and conquer new challenges at Paris Saint-Germain.
Messi’s transfer to Paris Saint-Germain is a milestone in football history. Fans are eagerly waiting to see him in action with his new team and witness what he is capable of on the field. The football world is in a frenzy with this news and can’t wait to see Messi shine once again.
