
In a commanding performance at the Canadian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen secured his sixth win out of eight races in the 2023 Formula 1 season. The Dutch driver led from start to finish, claiming victory for Red Bull and marking their 100th win in the sport. Verstappen’s triumph also propelled him to the same level as the legendary Ayrton Senna, with both drivers now boasting 41 career wins.
The Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton engaged in an intense battle for the second spot on the podium, with positions frequently swapping between the two. Despite Hamilton’s initial advantage at the start, it was Alonso who ultimately secured the runner-up position, while Hamilton settled for third place as the race unfolded.
George Russell, driving for Mercedes, suffered a setback early on after a crash severely damaged his car, pushing him to the back of the field. The subsequent deployment of the Safety Car led to diverse strategic approaches among the teams. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, along with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, Haas’ Kevin Magnussen, and Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas, elected to stay out on track during the Safety Car period, gaining track position that translated into fourth and fifth places respectively.
Perez finished in sixth place, also securing the fastest lap of the race, as he aimed to mitigate the impact of his compromised qualifying sessions in recent races. Alexander Albon, starting from a top 10 position for Williams, strategically pitted during the Safety Car period, allowing him to secure a valuable seventh-place finish.
Albon faced a challenging battle against a group of cars in the closing stages, including Esteban Ocon from Alpine, Lando Norris from McLaren, Bottas, and Lance Stroll from Aston Martin. Albon capitalized on the impressive straight-line speed of the upgraded FW45 to hold off his competitors and secure crucial points for Williams.
However, Norris was later penalized with a five-second penalty for “unsportsmanlike conduct” behind the Safety Car. The penalty dropped him to 13th place, behind his teammate Oscar Piastri and Pierre Gasly from Alpine. Stroll and Bottas claimed the final points of the day, with Stroll overtaking Bottas in the later stages of the race.
Nico Hulkenberg, who fell from second to fifth on the grid due to a red flag infringement in qualifying, had a low-profile race and finished 15th, trailing Yuki Tsunoda from AlphaTauri. Haas struggled to maintain competitiveness on race day, with Kevin Magnussen and Nyck de Vries from AlphaTauri finishing in 17th and 18th places respectively, following mid-race collisions that caused them to run off the track.
Despite initially resuming after his crash and fighting his way back into point-scoring positions, Russell was eventually instructed to retire due to brake concerns. Meanwhile, Williams rookie Logan Sargeant became the other non-finisher after being instructed to park his car in the early stages of the race.