Verstappen wins Red Bull’s 100th race, two champions complete the podium

Max Verstappen’s biggest trouble was hitting a bird during his first stint, at least that is what the defending champion said, but his car did not get any damage. He pulled away comfortably after the start and after the Safety Car restart as well, taking the victory in Montreal by x seconds. This was Red Bull's 100th race win of all time.

Fernando Alonso finished in second place, after reclaiming his starting spot in Lap 23 from Lewis Hamilton following a steady manoeuvre and Aston Martin did not make any mistakes during the Spaniard’s second pit stop. Alonso also had an issue with the hydraulic system of his rear brakes, but he held on. The seven-time world champion finished third and and lost the additional point for the fastest lap of the race to Perez.

Once again, the three driver who had to climb up the grid following their poor qualifyings were the two Ferraris and Sergio Perez. The Safety Car was definitely helped their alternative strategies today, as they jumped the midfield pack without having to overtake them. Charles Leclerc finished fourth ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez did not have a shot at overtaking the two Ferraris and had to settle for P6.

The midfield battle was the definitely the one that provided the most chaotic moments, with drivers overtaking and trying to overtake each other left right and centre. Lando Norris got a 5-second penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, and Nyck de Vries almost hit Kevin Magnussen out of the race on Lap 36 in the first sector. Alexander Albon got six points for finishing in P7 after an amazing race by the Williams driver, ahead of Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll and Valtteri Bottas.

The Start of the Race

Verstappen started from pole position, with the top 10 all choosing the medium tyres to being with. The Dutchman got off the line easily, just like Lewis Hamilton, who quickly jumped Fernando Alonso in the leadup towards Turn 1. The Spaniard had to defend off George Russell to keep P3. 

Throughout the grid, there were no trouble coming off the start, everyone remained composed. Only Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz got into a heated battle, switching places twice during the lap, but the Ferrari driver came out on top, and behind them Kevin Magnussen ran off in the last corner avoiding a collision with the two aforementioned drivers.

During Lap 7, there was a brief VSC period, after Logan Sargeant was told to retire his car due to a mechanical failure. The drivers got the indication as they were bunched up, what almost led to a coming together between Nico Hulkenberg and Lando Norris, but the Briton could avoid contact.

Safety Car and the first Pit stops

On Lap 12, George Russell rode the kerb at Turn 9, which led to him crashing into the barrier and getting a rear right puncture. The Mercedes driver could return to the pits and and continued the race from P19. He eventually retired on Lap 55.

Russell’s crash triggered the first Safety Car of the race. The Top 3 of Verstappen, Hamilton and Alonso all did their first pit stop of the race, but Mercedes’ stop was slower than Aston Martin’s, leading to him being dangerously released just ahead of Alonso. They all put on a set of hard tyres. 

Drivers on alternative strategies, such as the two Ferrari’s and Perez decided to commit to a one-stop race, and decided to stay out. As the Safety Car came into the pits, Verstappen did well on the restart, and the Top 6 remained unchanged.