🍁 Canadian GP Electrifying Race Review

Hey there, podium chasers! 👋 

A warm welcome to the 231 new members who joined us in the last week. We're thrilled to have you on board!

Montreal left us with an adrenaline-filled race that took our breath away. Despite a new win for Max Verstappen, the whole grid has been very tight and close, keeping us glued to the TV all the time!

The race at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve left no one indifferent, with constant battles, a few incidents and the drivers always going flat out.

Let's relive the most exciting moments of this electrifying Grand Prix. ⚡

📈Race pace analysis via @FDataAnalysis

- Alonso and Hamilton were close the entire race.
- The Ferraris were close in pace to Alonso despite stopping one less time! Very promising after Spain.
- Pérez was off the pace, but also due to traffic + different strategy.
- Alpine was best-of-the-rest again.

🧐Another win for Verstappen, but... It was the closest race of the entire season so far!

With his win at the Canadian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen has matched the legendary Ayrton Senna with 41 wins, and Red Bull has reached a milestone of 100 wins in Formula 1.

With a full house of 8 wins in 8 races, the energy drinks team has matched Mercedes' second-best start in F1 history and trails only McLaren’s record-breaking 1988 season with 11 consecutive victories.

Fifteen years ago, could anyone have imagined that an energy drink brand would rise to dethrone some of the most iconic car manufacturers in the world?

But let’s not get too carried away just yet. The record won’t be a walk in the park. The gap between Verstappen and Alonso at the end of the race was a mere 9 seconds, making it the tightest race of the season so far.

Aston Martin, Mercedes, and Ferrari have shown impressive race pace, clocking times as close as Red Bull’s. Verstappen had to push harder than a shopping cart with a stubborn wheel at several points during the race, trying to fend off the ever-present threat of Alonso and Hamilton.

Speaking of Alonso and Hamilton, those two were practically attached at the hip throughout the race, battling it out for the second position. Their battle showcased the remarkable improvements that Mercedes displayed at the Spanish GP.

🥇 Fun fact of the race

🐢 Max’s lap time without bird - Lap 10 - 1:17.359s
🐇 Max’s lap time with bird - Lap 11 - 1:17.268s

Max went 0.91s faster with a bird in his brake ducts 🤣

🏆 A star studded podium

The podium itself was a gathering of racing legends, boasting a combined total of 11 world championships between Verstappen, Alonso, and Hamilton.

And let's not forget the wizard behind the curtain, Adrian Newey, who joined them in the celebration with a whopping 23 titles (11 drivers' championships and 12 constructors' championships).

That podium was as illustrious as a Hollywood red carpet event!

💨70 qualifying laps in a frenetic race

The lack of degradation of the Pirelli tires transformed the way of racing in Montreal. Unlike a typical race where drivers must carefully manage their tires, at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, it was pedal to the metal from start to finish.

Pirelli decided to bring the softest compounds (C3-C5) to Canada, perhaps hoping for some spicy tire action. Unfortunately, the Softs turned out to be as useful as a deflated beach ball in a race.

On the bright side, the medium compound exceeded expectations and performed admirably. It was quicker or just as good as the Hards for most of its lifespan.

The midfield drivers were practically glued together throughout the race, engaging in a constant battle of overtakes. With so much action and wheel-to-wheel duels, it was an incredibly interesting and dynamic race to witness.

📻Alonso's mysterious viral radio in Canada: What was Aston Martin trying to tell him?

Aston Martin showcased an impressive race pace in Canada, thanks to their shiny new upgrade package. Alonso's performance was particularly noteworthy, as he managed to maintain a similar or even faster pace than Verstappen for a good portion of the race.

However, things took a curious turn when the team instructed Alonso to perform the "lift and coast" technique. In other words, they wanted him to lift off the throttle earlier at the end of the straights to conserve fuel, indicating a possible issue with the fuel system. As a result, Alonso's lap times suffered a bit.

After the race, a radio message from the team caught everyone’s attention:

Before they could finish their sentence, Alonso quickly interrupted with a knowing response: "I know, I know. I didn't want to say anything."

Did Aston Martin truly believe they had a chance to catch Verstappen if not for the problem?

Who knows? But regardless, the strong pace they displayed is certainly promising news. We'll have to keep a close eye on how they perform in Austria. Sure, Max may be miles ahead right now, but hey, it's a long season with plenty of twists and turns. Alonso's 33rd victory seems to be inching closer and closer. Maybe it's time for him to start practicing his victory dance routine!

🔴 Ferrari’s best race this year so far?

No Ferrari on the podium this time around. Charles Leclerc secured fourth place, while Carlos Sainz finished fifth.

And yet, the Ferrari pit box there filled with unmistakable euphoria that they couldn’t conceal after the race.

Following a disappointing qualifying session where Leclerc started from tenth and Sainz from eleventh, things took a turn in the race. The Ferraris unleashed a remarkable pace, matching the best in the field.

The Prancing Horse caught everyone off guard when they chose not to pit for a tire change during the Safety Car period. As expected (it's Ferrari, after all), this decision was met with some raised eyebrows.

However, it turned out to be a stroke of genius. Both Leclerc and Sainz quickly climbed to fourth and fifth positions respectively, stretching the life of their medium tires without any signs of struggle. Astonishingly, they maintained a similar pace to Alonso and Hamilton, who were on much older rubber. Seems like Ferrari finally found the right pit stop formula to sprinkle a bit of magic into their race.

Both drivers held onto their positions, and Sainz received instructions not to attack Leclerc. With a splendid one-stop strategy, they crossed the finish line in fourth and fifth places. "We've caught a glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel," exclaimed Frédéric Vasseur. "It was the best Ferrari performance of the year. Now, we must continue improving," echoed Leclerc. And Vasseur promises even more exciting developments and enhancements for the upcoming race in Austria.

RELATED: Frederic Vasseur has revealed that Ferrari's contra-strategy in the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix was pushed for by the drivers and was a "gamble." - Read more

👎 Are Russell and Pérez the major letdowns of 2023?

Sergio Pérez once again failed to make it into Q3 in Canada. Despite climbing up to sixth position in the race, the Mexican driver seems to be light years away from Verstappen, displaying a rather lackluster race pace.

It appears that Alonso is closing in on Pérez in the championship standings, and Red Bull's patience might be wearing thin.

Meanwhile, George Russell doesn't quite resemble the driver who outperformed Hamilton in 2022.

This year, he's constantly being overshadowed by his teammate. The Briton even had a little dance with the barriers while chasing Alonso and eventually had to retire due to a brake problem.

🔵 Albon again able to show his class and worth to F1

Alexander Albon showcased his skills once again at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The Thai driver started from ninth position and executed a flawless one-stop strategy.

With excellent tire management and impressive pace, he crossed the finish line in seventh place, successfully fending off a horde of cars behind him.

The improvements from Williams have been quite noticeable, and with the grid being as tight as a Formula 1 driver's body suit, these advancements could result in a significant leap in performance.

Who knows, maybe they can end up being a competitive midfield team at the end of the season if they keep up the momentum!

Exciting news! Red Bull has officially joined the exclusive club of teams with 100 Formula 1 grand prix victories. Max Verstappen achieved this incredible milestone with a fantastic win at the 2023 Canadian GP.

Formula 1 has witnessed numerous teams etch their names into history through sheer dominance and relentless pursuit of victory. Winning a single Grand Prix is an exceptional feat, but reaching the milestone of 100 wins solidifies a team's status among the sport's legends.

Red Bull is now one of only five teams to reach this remarkable mark. Let's take a closer look at how and when the previous four teams accomplished this feat.

🔴 Ferrari

Who: Alain Prost
When: 1990
Where: Brazilian Grand Prix
Wins as of Canadian GP: 242

Prost scored his first win for Ferrari in only his second race with the team.

He started from sixth on the grid and made his way up to second place, but then Ayrton Senna messed up his McLaren by breaking the front wing on Satoru Nakajima's Lotus.

That season, Prost led Ferrari's best shot at the championship since 1982.

Unfortunately, it all went downhill when he collided with Senna at the start of the Japanese GP.

Prost was already super frustrated with Ferrari management and his teammate Nigel Mansell before that incident.

And things got even worse in the chaotic 1991 season. Prost didn't even finish the season before getting the boot.

After that, Ferrari had a rough patch and struggled to be competitive for a few years. But then, their new boss Jean Todt came along and turned things around. They started winning here and there in 1994 and 1995.

But the real difference came with the arrival of Michael Schumacher, Ross Brawn, and Rory Byrne from Benetton. They transformed Ferrari into a true championship contender and dominated the sport for five years.

🟠 McLaren

Who: Ayrton Senna
When: 1993
Where: Brazilian Grand Prix
Wins as of Canadian GP: 183

Senna's last win in the Brazilian GP was a total underdog victory. It started raining in the middle of the race, which worked in his favor despite getting penalized early on for passing under a yellow flag.

The rain messed up Prost's strategy of staying on slick tires, and he ended up spinning into Fittipaldi's crashed Minardi.

After that, McLaren was already on a downward spiral from its glory days in the late '80s and early '90s when they reached their 100th win.

Senna was frustrated and trying his best to beat the technologically advanced Williams, but he wasn't happy with the situation.

McLaren was stuck using Ford engines after Honda's departure, so he negotiated race-by-race contracts instead of committing long-term.

Nevertheless, Senna's heroic efforts resulted in McLaren winning five times in 1993 before he left for a short stint at Williams.

McLaren then had a disastrous season in 1994, with the Peugeot-powered car catching fire frequently.

They eventually partnered with Mercedes, and in 1997, they started winning races again, securing two consecutive titles with Mika Hakkinen.

🔵 Williams

Who: Jacques Villeneueve
When: 1997
Where: British Grand Prix
Wins as of Canadian GP: 114

Villeneuve was leading the race at Silverstone, but then a pesky wheel nut got stuck during a pitstop, causing him to drop to seventh place.

He fought his way back up and put himself in a great position to take advantage of some unfortunate mishaps by his main competitors.

First, Schumacher's Ferrari had a wheel bearing failure, which knocked him out of the race.

Then, just when Hakkinen's McLaren-Mercedes was only six laps away from clinching his first F1 win, his engine decided to call it quits.

Villeneuve seized the opportunity and came out on top in the championship battle against Schumacher.

Their showdown at Jerez was settled by a collision that Schumacher triggered. And voila! Villeneuve proudly became Williams' last world-champion driver.

Now, things weren't all smooth sailing for Williams after that. Their engine supplier, Renault, decided to call it quits at the end of the year.

So Williams had to make do with old Renault V10s under a different name for the next couple of seasons. It wasn't ideal, but they managed to become race winners again once BMW came on board in 2001.

However, since then, their victories have been few and far between. Their only triumph since then was when Pastor Maldonado pulled off his only win at the Spain Grand Prix in 2012.

⚫️ Mercedes

Who: Lewis Hamilton
When: 2019
Where: Mexican Grand Prix
Wins as of Canadian GP: 125

Well, this one's up for debate in terms of timing, but no one can argue that Mercedes has definitely surpassed 100 F1 wins.

Technically, they combined the stats of the current Mercedes team with the old Mercedes F1 squad from the 1950s. So, win number 100 came when Hamilton made an incredible comeback at the 2019 Mexican GP.

He had a collision with Verstappen at the start and dropped all the way to 10th place. He still managed to beat the Ferraris and take the victory, even with some damage to the car's floor.

If we exclude the nine wins from 1954 and 1955, 'Brackley Mercedes' hit the 100th win milestone at Tuscan Grand Prix in 2020, again with Hamilton behind the wheel. Fun fact, that was Ferrari's 1000th race!

❤️ ICYMI: Lumberjack vibes, groundhogs and a game of ping pong - it's the best social media from Canada - Read more

🛞 F1 teams appear unlikely to support a move to introduce blanket-free slick tyres in 2024 when a decision is made at the end of next month. - Read more

🛑 FIA set to restrict pre-race grid access for F1 guests - Read more

👨‍💻 Lewis Hamilton reckons Mercedes needs to "take our eye a little bit off the ball" this year and focus on 2024 Formula 1 car development to catch Red Bull. – Read More

🦾 Stroll finally gets his revenge on Bottas six years later. – Read More

🪞Alex Albon says he was driving “in his rear-view mirrors” on his way to seventh place for his Williams Formula 1 team in the Canadian GP. – Read More

🙏 ‘It’s definitely encouraging’ says Leclerc of Ferrari’s Canadian GP turnaround as Sainz addresses team orders call. – Read More

⛔ EXPLAINED: 'Unsportsmanlike behaviour'? Why Lando Norris was handed a 5-second penalty in Montreal. – Read More

😩 Lewis Hamilton made the admission to Max Verstappen in the Canada cool-down room that the Mercedes W14 “sucks” in low-speed corners, and Daniel Ricciardo thinks Hamilton was trying to catch Verstappen with his guard down. – Read More

🏆 ‘Back in the mix’: Hamilton happy to share podium with ‘icons’ in Canada. – Read More

😯 Schumacher on standby for struggling Sargeant. – Read More

🌑 Alonso in dark over mystery Canadian Grand Prix problem. – Read More

🇦🇹 Scheduled June 30th – July 2nd

Red Bull Ring at Spielberg, Austria

TLDR;

1️⃣ Circuit length: 4.318 km
2️⃣ Number of laps: 71
3️⃣ Lap record: 1:05.619 Carlos Sainz (2020)
4️⃣ Corners & DRS: 13 corners with 2 DRS zones

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