Will Mercedes upgrade stop Verstappen F1 dominance?

Can their rivals, Mercedes in particular, put an end to the dominance of F1 by Verstappen and his Red Bull team?

According to FanDuel sportsbook, cutting-edge online betting and potential winning options has Verstappen's Red Bull team all but invincible, with another F1 title to add to his collection increasingly inevitable.

Red Bull's Adrian Newey and his design team at Milton Keynes last year delivered a fantastic car in the RB18, winning more races as it did in 2022 than any other team in a single season, in the history of the sport. This year's RB19 appears to be even better, unbeaten this season in seven races, with Verstappen winning five so far and Red Bull teammate two.

Where are their rivals? Clearly caught flat-footed by the genius of Newey, they are all playing catch up. Mercedes, once serial winners of 15 F1 world titles in eight years, were way behind as they persisted with the failed 'zero-sidepod' aero concept that turned them into also-rans. One victory in the past 18 months of racing is a sad testament to that.

But, if any team has the resources and determination to turn things around, it is Mercedes with their two ace drivers, seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton and young hotshot George Russell, both capable of doing 'the business' with the right car.

And last time out in Spain, they were best of the rest behind Verstappen's #1 RBR, notably after they ditched the zero-sidepod for a more conventional concept, which appears to be a first step in the right direction.

But ex-Fi driver turned Sky Sports pundit Martin Brundle is not convinced the 'new Mercedes W14B' is the tonic to floor Max and Checo on a regular basis and said as much after the race in Barcelona: "Russell drove a fine race to take the final step on the podium.

Hamilton, who is driving with an especially feisty and happy demeanour lately, was a further eight seconds up the road for a solid second place and double Mercedes podium."

However, Bruncdle warned: "Before we get too excited, they were 24 and 32 seconds, respectively, behind a cruising Verstappen but at least it's some hope that the Mercedes sidepod upgrade did some good, although we can't say that about Ferrari's similar upgrade yet.

"Furthermore, after a tremendous start to the season, Aston Martin needs their imminent update to work too, as they fall behind Mercedes in the Constructors' championship," added Brundle.

For this weekend, F1 has set up camp on the man-made Ile Notre Dame in Montreal, for the 42nd running of the Canadian Grand Prix, Round 8 of the 2023 F1 World Championship.

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has been a happy hunting ground over the years for Hamilton, who shares a record seven victories at the venue with legend Michael Schumacher. Will the weekend there deliver F1 victory 104 for the Briton? Are Mercedes doing enough to contain Red Bull? Time will tell.