Verstappen still the F1 man to beat after Canadian GP victory

After dominating the 2023 Formula 1 season, there were huge concerns that Max Verstappen and Red Bull would continue their period of elite dominance throughout 2024.

Whilst nobody can deny the driving and engineering brilliance that have contributed to Red Bull dominating all before them, after victories in four of the first five races of the year, pundits and fans were left wondering who could emerge from the pack and give Red Bull something to think about.

With the rest of the grid desperately playing catchup, the tide finally turned at the Miami Grand Prix, with McLaren finally emerging as a major force.

Showing speed that had been missing through the first six races of the year, Lando Norris managed to supplant Verstappen from the front of the grid in qualifying. With many expecting Verstappen to still win the race, Norris showed great composure and the McLaren showed remarkable speed to keep the flying Dutchman at bay and land the team's first victory since 2021.

Although the placings would then reverse at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Red Bull would suffer another setback at Monaco with Verstappen only able to finish fifth, some way behind Charles LeClerc and Ferrari.

Heading to Canada with questions to answer, for the first time in years the pressure was well and truly on Red Bull, but they responded as all the great champions do.

A surprise is sprung in qualifying. With both Ferrari and McLaren heading to Canada fresh off the back of some great recent performances, excitement was at fever pitch as the battle for the front of the grid was well and truly on.

Qualifying, which has recently become a procession for Red Bull, turned out to be a classic. With all eyes on Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren there was a surprise, as another contender forced their way into the reckoning with Mercedes displaying the positive effects of some recent upgrades and George Russell securing an unlikely pole position.

Despite battling his car through practice and for most of qualifying, Verstappen was able to secure second place in qualifying and set himself up nicely for his sixth win of the season. Although not starting in front, Verstappen seemed happy enough with his performance.

He said: “It’s how it is. We had a good qualifying. The whole weekend has been still a bit tricky for us but to be P2, I take it. Going into qualifying I would have definitely taken that. It makes it more exciting for the race as well.”

When race day arrived, the grid was welcomed with grey skies and the prospect of heavy rain. With the race starting in wet conditions, Russell was able to keep Verstappen at bay through the early stages of the race, but the race would soon turn into a tactical affair.

With the rain falling intermittently, tyre choice was very much the order of the day. First to make the change off the wet tyres was Lando Norris and McLaren, and the move was inspired. With more grip and able to generate better speed than his rivals, he powered past his rivals and vaulted into the lead.

However, with the rain beginning to fall again, a crash from Logan Sergeant meant the race would be run under safety car conditions, both Verstappen and Russell would change their tyres but McLaren would gamble and keep Norris on the intermediates.

With the rain lasting longer than they would have hoped, 1 lap later Norris was called to the pits and by the time he had departed, Verstappen was able to sneak ahead and led the Grand Prix for the very first time.

Despite some more jockeying for position, Verstappen would remind everybody of his class as he would put on a masterclass at the head of the pack.

Although the race would once again enter safety car conditions after a crash between Sergio Perez and Alex Albon, Verstappen would get away beautifully upon its ending to maintain his lead. Displaying the full might of his Red Bull, Russell and Norris were both forced into making mistakes as they tried to chase him down.

Able to assert his dominance, the Dutchman would power to the line to win his sixth race of the season.

Stretching his Championship lead to 54 points, Verstappen remains firmly on course for his fourth World Championship and speaking after the race he was clearly delighted with this hugely significant victory.

“It was a pretty crazy race. A lot of things were happening and we had to be on top of our calls. I think as a team we just did really well today, we remained calm, and I think we pitted at the right time. Of course, the Safety Car worked out nicely for us, but even after that I think we were managing the gaps quite well. I loved it – that was a lot of fun. Those kinds of races, you need them once in a while!”

Whilst his win in Canada was an example of his team getting the strategy bang on, Verstappen is simply ruthless when out in front. Despite driving one of the best cars that Formula 1 has ever seen, Verstappen is utterly fearless behind the wheel and his desire to win forces his rivals to gamble with their strategies or forces them to drive in a style that can’t be sustained for an entire race.

What comes next? espite the 2024 F1 season starting back in March, we aren’t even halfway through the new season and there is plenty of excitement to come.

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The next three races in Spain, Austria and Britain are all tracks where he has won before and few would bet against it happening once more.