Canadian Grand Prix — Race of the Season
Ferrari have a Shocker
The Canadian Grand Prix of 2011 might just be the best race of all time, when a wet then drying track allowed Button to go from last halfway through to overtake Vettel on the final lap for an epic win.
Since then, it’s sometimes been a little less exciting than it might be, but the 2024 race produced another classic, once again due to changing conditions.
Mercedes Join the Party
With upgrades over the last couple of races it was looking very much like Leclerc and Norris could regularly challenge Verstappen at a variety of circuits. While Ferrari’s pace collapsed (more on that below), Mercedes defied expectations to haul themselves into contention.
Oddly, as this is a top Hamilton track, it was not him but Russell who secured the team’s first pole position of the season. Hamilton himself languished in 7th, although that was only a couple of tenths off the pace.
In the race, Russell initially retained his advantage, and while he did end up slipping back there was a genuine shot at victory here today for Mercedes. Finishing 3rd and 4th is fantastic for a team that had looked firmly the fourth fastest on the grid, and Hamilton did well to put himself in strong contention for a podium.
Verstappen Proves His Worth
Sometimes, a top driver can get taken for granted, or the assumption can be made it’s just the car responsible for a result. However, the Red Bull was frequently not the fastest car during the race (changing conditions and tyres meant the pace varied over time).
Norris could’ve easily won this race, and might have had the safety car not robbed him of the lead, paying Verstappen back for the reverse occurring in Miami. Russell also had a serious chance of winning this race.
But neither of them did. In a car on par with the rest, Verstappen got lucky with the safety car and then did very well to immediately break the DRS range to Norris, enabling him to take the race.
Consistent speed and the psychological resilience to bear the pressure, plus coping with the changing conditions that cost many (including Sainz and Perez) made this the most impressive win Verstappen’s had for quite some time.
Ferrari go from Hero to Zero
What a difference a fortnight makes. The Prancing Horse was dominant in Monaco, with a double podium and Leclerc bagging himself pole and the win. Cars do excel or suffer at different tracks but the shift here was substantial.
From fastest on the grid to a double Q2 exit was highly unexpected. Worse still was the double DNF due to a mix of driver error and reliability failure. Some have suggested the Curse of Monaco afflicted Leclerc but just arrived late.
The only potential upside is that it’s better to have weak reliability when pace is also poor, but this marks a break in Ferrari’s hitherto excellent performance this season. Both drivers have been highly reliable, and the car likewise, and the team has generally perfected the setup (Australia standing out here, when Sainz might well have won even without the Verstappen retirement). Before Canada, Leclerc had never been outside the top 4 this year, and Sainz had never been outside the top 5.
Hopefully for Ferrari, this will be a one-off. It’s certainly eased the pressure on Red Bull in the title race, as the Prancing Horse was looking a strong contender to finish ahead come season’s end. Instead of narrowing the gap, Verstappen’s win extended it to 49 points over Ferrari. The latter might still claim the title come the season’s conclusion but it should be a lot closer than it is now.
Alpine Beat Haas for Final Points
Haas went for a brave strategy that made sense given their poor qualifying. Full wets enabled both men, especially Magnussen, to rack up passes galore early on, but the needed safety car (for a cheap pit stop) or red flag (for a free tyre change) did not appear at the right time.
This effectively meant they had to make an extra stop for inters, and Magnussen’s problem was compounded by a slow stop, undoing much of his good work. The strategy call was the right one, however, and if the stop had been timely then the Dane might yet have finished in the points.
Instead, the troubled Alpine pairing both scored, with Gasly 9th and Ocon 10th. Less than two seconds covered the Alpine and Haas drivers. The result also narrows the gap between the teams to just two points, with Haas on 7 and Alpine on 5.
RB, VCARB, or whatever you wish to call them ended up starting and finishing 8th, but it was Tsunoda who qualified reasonably well and had a poor result, while Ricciardo had a great qualifying and lost a few places but still managed to finish in the points. As with Aston Martin (58), the team remains in its own little No Man’s Land on 28 points, neither threatening those ahead nor threatened by those behind.
Perez has a Race to Forget
Perez recently signed a contract with Red Bull, which is good timing as his race was less than stellar. He started 16th due to just not being fast enough, trundled around near the back, then had a crash that reduced his rear wing to an alarmingly decrepit state and forced a retirement. The contrast between his struggles and Verstappen’s achievements is rather on the stark side.
Promising Season Ahead?
While Verstappen’s very much in pole position for the title again, the fact we may have four teams able to compete for not just podium finishes but wins means we might just have a series of great races ahead of us.
The greater development potential of teams that aren’t Red Bull, as that team bumps into the limit of what can be done with their concept, may even see the balance shift away from the Dutchman. However, multiple teams being in that position will make it harder for any one driver to secure sufficient points to take the title from Verstappen.
Richard
