Verstappen seals dramatic wet-dry win in Canada

Max Verstappen returned to his winning ways in Montreal, conquering the wet-dry conditions, Safety Car disruptions and a relentless Lando Norris to claim victory in an action-packed Canadian Grand Prix.

As for our Australians, it was a positive double points finish on Canadian soil, even with the chance of a podium finish slipping out of Oscar Piastri’s reach in the closing stages.

The McLaren driver ended his Montreal outing in fifth place, losing out to the Mercedes duo in the dying moments of the action-packed event.

From the outset, Piastri was a true contender for an impressive result, maintaining his place in P4 off the line.

Despite having the pace, the opening 20 laps of the Canadian Grand Prix were quiet for the Australian.

Only on Lap 24 did Piastri switch into full-fledged attack mode, running just five-tenths behind George Russell before a Logan Sargeant-induced Safety Car was called. 

Piastri followed his competitors into the pits for a fresh set of intermediate tyres, anticipating more rainfall that arrived shortly after.

At the restart, roles were reversed and the #81 switched to a defensive mindset against Lewis Hamilton.

He was on high alert during his second stint, holding off the seven-time world champion until Hamilton elected to pit for slick tyres.

The Australian reacted a lap later, putting on his own set of fresh mediums as the track dried up. 

Rejoining, Piastri was in contention for a podium finish, running at the back of a continuous three-way battle for P2 between himself, Russell and Norris.

McLaren didn’t react to Mercedes’ pitstops during the second Safety Car period, having confidence in their tyres and drivers to hold position in the final 10 laps of the race.

That was a difficult task for Piastri, however, with the 23-year-old facing some aggressive tactics from Russell.

George Russell, Mercedes leads Oscar Piastri during the Canadian GP. Image: Andy Hone / LAT Images.

Russell was confident that he had completed the move for P3 into Turn 13, but instead, made slight contact with the #81.

The contact left Russell at a momentary disadvantage, allowing Hamilton to form a promptly successful attack on Piastri.

Relegated into P4, Russell soon regained strength and additionally stole Piastri’s starting position from him.

The Australian was forced to settle for fifth place at the chequered flag, adding 10 points to McLaren’s tally.

Also adding points to his team’s tally was Daniel Ricciardo who had a race of highs and lows to end in eighth place.

Ricciardo lost two positions off the line, with that hit only compounding after he was handed a five-second penalty for a false start.

He served that penalty in the pits during the first Safety Car, rejoining the race narrowly within the points in P10.

At the midway point, Ricciardo found his closest competitor to be Alex Albon, with the RB driver ultimately dropping out of the points after being overtaken by the #23. 

Ricciardo was in the second round of drivers electing to run slicks, dropping into the pits ahead of a struggling Carlos Sainz, but losing out to the Spaniard on track.

Sainz’s time ahead of the RB driver was short-lived, however, with the Spaniard spinning out of the race and taking Albon with him as they both retired from the race. 

His inheritance of positions wasn’t over, with Yuki Tsunoda also spinning in the closing stages of the race.

Ricciardo picked off Esteban Ocon for eighth place, leading over the Alpine duo as he took the chequered flag in Canada. 

The Australian adds four points to his season total after the Canadian Grand Prix.

8th placed Daniel Ricciardo celebrates with his team after the Canadian Grand Prix. Image: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images.

As for the rest of the grid, it was Max Verstappen who hailed victorious after an intense wet-dry outing in Montreal.

It wasn’t a totally positive day for Red Bull, however, with the other side of the garage facing their second DNF in a row after Perez’s Turn 6 run-in with the barrier.

One DNF was definitely the more favourable outcome when compared to Ferrari’s afternoon in Montreal with the Italian team suffering a woeful, self-inflicted double DNF.

Charles Leclerc suffered with engine issues for the first half of the race, entering the pits during the Safety Car for a reset while taking a risk on the slick tyres.

That never paid off, setting him back by over a minute in last place and resulting in his retirement.

Along with Perez and the Ferraris on the sidelines, Williams also ended the Canadian Grand Prix with both of their cars in the wall.

As for the second-place finisher, Norris’ interaction with the Safety Car evened out his fortune in Miami, with the McLaren driver losing a supposed 10 seconds after just missing the pitlane entry when it was declared.

He stayed out for a further two laps to attempt an overcut on Verstappen and Russell and was partly successful in doing so, exiting the pits ahead of the Red Bull but losing out to tyre temperature.

The battle between the Mercedes drivers was a highlight of the Canadian Grand Prix for viewers, but not so much the Mercedes pit wall with Hamilton and Russell laying it all on the line for the final podium position. 

After disposing of Piastri, the #44 and #63 traded third place. 

Hamilton looked comfortable on his way to securing his first Grand Prix podium of the season, however, the man who started on pole wasn’t content with leaving Canada empty-handed.

Russell manoeuvred his way past his teammate in the final laps, claiming P3 on a positive weekend for Mercedes.

The Formula 1 grid will have a weekend off before heading back to Europe for the first triple-header of the season, kicking off with the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya from June 21-23.

Image: Mark Thompson/Getty Images // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

2024 Canadian Grand Prix Results:

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