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F1 Event Guide: Round 9 Canadian Grand Prix

By Thomas Miles

Date posted: June 16, 2023

Red Bull is looking ominous to continue its barn-storming start to the 2023 Formula 1 season at the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend. 

If one of Max Verstappen or Sergio Perez can guide Red Bull to yet another victory, the team will match Mercedes’ record for the most consecutive wins to start a season in the 21st century.

Download the full F1 Canadian Grand Prix event guide HERE with track stats and facts and a full event schedule, plus our extensive driver profiles.

In 2019 the Silver Arrows collected the first eight victories of the year, with their run extending from Australia to Austria.

In the present day, Red Bull appears in even better touch with their rivals seemingly requiring a miracle to come too close to them, especially with the kind of form Verstappen is in.

Although the overall record of taking out the first 11 races set by McLaren back in 1988 is still a long way off, victory at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve will be yet another impressive marker of the juggernaut Christian Horner is leading.

But whilst Verstappen remains at his untouchable best, Perez will be required to lift with two poor qualifying performances hurting him.

A series of encouraging developments has propelled Mercedes past Aston Martin as the best of the rest behind Red Bull.

This was evident at Spain where both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell joined Verstappen on the podium and showed strong tyre life.

2022 Canadian Grand Prix action

Formula 1 returns to the picturesque Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve this weekend. Photo by Zak Mauger / LAT Images

The big question in the Canadian Grand Prix will be if Mercedes can establish itself as clearly the second fastest car or will the balance shift back towards Aston Martin as it goes track to track?

But the surprise underdogs of 2023 could have a new trick up their sleeves with Aston Martin planning on rolling out an upgrade in Canada, which has been described as a “step” by team principal Mike Krack.

Fernando Alonso showed a glimpse of what was ahead in 2023 when he qualified on the front row at Canada last year in an Alpine.

Despite all roads leading to another Red Bull win, Canada does have a history of throwing up surprise results.

In 2014 Mercedes looked just as dominant, but the Silver Arrows mechanical dramas presented Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo with the perfect opportunity to pounce on his first Formula 1 win, while another surprise first-time winner in similar circumstances at the Ile Notre-Dame was Jean Alesi in 1995.

For the fourth race weekend in a row, rain is forecast to have a major say on the weekend with precipitation predicted on all three days.

Whether or not it has a say remains to be seen, but the last fully wet Canadian Grand Prix was 2011 where a Red Bull slip up handed a win to an unlikely hero.

It’s a small hope but that is all teams have when coming up against Red Bull in 2023.

Download the full F1 Canadian Grand Prix event guide HERE with track stats and facts and a full event schedule, plus our extensive driver profiles.

For more of the latest motorsport news, pick up the latest issue of AUTO ACTION.

PODCAST: The latest episode of the Auto Action RevLimiter podcast is out now!

In the latest podcast we discuss this weekends Darwin Supercars preview & news, F1 Canada preview, Winton ARG and LeMans 24Hour wrap-up.

Listen to the RevLimiter podcast on your podcast app of choice or here on the RevLimiter website

AUTO ACTION, Australia’s independent voice of motorsport.

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