In Canada, Verstappen channels Senna and Alonso outclasses Hamilton for the podium

Ayrton Senna, the legendary Formula 1 driver, set a magical record of 41 wins during his career in the sport. Now Max Verstappen has equaled that record in Canada, adding another clear win to his tally. Although his opponents are a little closer this time, he still maintains a comfortable ten-second lead.

As always, the excitement was behind Verstappen, especially in the intense battle between Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton for second position throughout the race. In the end, it was the Aston Martin driver who emerged victorious, landing a sixth time on the podium in 2023.

Impressive progress for Williams, who achieves with Albon his best result since 2021

This time, although Verstappen did not dominate overwhelmingly, he continues to record clear wins. The champion added Red Bull's 100th victory in Formula 1 to his record, with a ten-second lead over Alonso and Hamilton. However, Verstappen failed to set the fastest lap of the race, which was won by Sergio Pérez.

The situation was turbulent behind the leaders. Alonso lost position to Hamilton at the start and found himself vulnerable against Mercedes, but that was quickly ended when George Russell slammed into a wall, damaging his right rear tyre. Although the Briton returned to the track, he eventually retired from the race.

Hamilton and Alonso again made a tight pit stop during the course with the FIA ​​deciding to look away, but soon after Alonso mustered up the courage to overtake Hamilton on the track, accelerating under braking in front of the wall of champions. The Aston Martin managed to escape, but Mercedes had a trick up their sleeve.

Knowing that Alonso was out of new medium tyres, Mercedes brought forward Hamilton's stop, forcing Aston Martin to react. They also stopped, but with hard tires. The final battle was served. Hamilton closed in until he was almost in DRS position, but then Alonso changed pace and sealed a fierce fight for second place. A magnificent duel.

This time around Ferrari made the right decision in terms of strategy by leaving their drivers on the track with the safety car. As a result, they managed to escape the traffic jam they were stuck in, allowing them to ride in clear air. Making just one pit stop, they finished fourth and fifth, with Charles Leclerc ahead of Carlos Sainz.

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Sergio Pérez has taken the same approach, but the Mexican driver continues to struggle. Despite showing the best car on the grid, he only managed to move up to sixth place. It's not that he's not fighting for the world championship, but his season is getting more and more disappointing. Moreover, Alonso is already almost within reach of second place.

However, the hero of the day was Alexander Albon. The improvements made by Williams in Canada largely paid off. The Thai driver secured a formidable seventh place, the team's best result since 2021. On the other hand, Lance Stroll was once again disappointed, finishing ninth behind Alpine's Esteban Ocon. What an accomplished Alonso surpasses even the performance of the Aston Martin.

As for Valtteri Bottas, he finished tenth thanks to a five-second sensitivity caused to Lando Norris and found himself in an incomprehensible situation by getting involved in a complicated last corner with Ocon. However, the most surreal action was that of Kevin Magnussen and Nyck de Vries, which ended with the two pilots parked in the escape zone after an unfortunate duel.

2023 Formula 1 Canadian GP race results

General classification Formula 1

1. Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull-HOL), 195 points
2. Sergio PÉREZ (Red Bull-MEX), 126 points
3. Fernando ALONSO  (Aston Martin-ESP), 117 points
4. Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes-GBR), 102 points
5. Carlos SAINZ  (Ferrari-ESP), 68 points