Canadian GP Takeaways: Max matches Senna, Albon shows promise, pursuit for 2nd
Following each race weekend this year, theScore’s editors offer their takeaways. We continue the 2023 schedule with the Canadian GP.
Max’s pursuit of history
Max Verstappen’s third drivers’ championship – or second, depending on how you view what happened in Abu Dhabi – is essentially in the bag despite being only eight races into the 2023 season.
The Red Bull star’s fourth consecutive win this year came in Montreal, helping to stretch his commanding lead over teammate Sergio Perez to 69 points.
Verstappen’s dominance continues to reach historic levels, as his most recent victory helped move him into a tie with the great Ayrton Senna with 41 career wins.
“I hate to compare different generations but, from my side, the only thing I can say is that when I was a little kid driving in go-karts, I was dreaming about being a Formula 1 driver, and I would’ve never imagined to win 41 grands prix,” Verstappen said.
“So, of course, to tie with Ayrton is something incredible. I’m proud of that, but of course, I hope it’s not stopping here. I hope that we can keep on winning more races.”
Of course, Verstappen isn’t stopping there, and if he’s motivated to remain in the sport long enough, there’s a real shot that the Dutchman could surpass Lewis Hamilton’s current mark of 103 race wins – though there’s a long way to go.
Before, and if, Verstappen can ever reach the century mark, he’s got a few more names to pass first. The next one could very much come this year.
With 14 races to go in 2023, Verstappen has a real shot of at least passing Prost. Considering his outrageous form this year, combined with Red Bull’s technical dominance, it wouldn’t be a total shock if he could at least tie Vettel’s mark of 53. But, for the sake of some parity this season, let’s hope we see a few more different race winners over the next few months. – Brandon Wile
Albon deserves another shot with top-flight team
It may have been Verstappen’s dominance that snatched headlines, but it’s his erstwhile teammate Alex Albon who stole fans’ hearts at the Canadian GP.
Now with bottom-tier Williams after losing his seat to Sergio Perez, Albon showed off world-class defense in a one-stop strategy to finish seventh – coincidentally one spot behind Checo – and earn Driver of the Day by popular vote. Not bad for a driver who started ninth on the grid in what’s perhaps generously considered the second-worst car in the paddock.
This marks the highest finish for a Williams driver since 2021 when George Russell finished second in the rain-shortened Belgian GP. To find a better finish for a Williams driver that happened over a full-length grand prix, you have to go all the way back to the 2017 Mexican GP when Lance Stroll placed sixth.
It doesn’t take a motorsports expert to notice that both Russell and Stroll have graduated to much better teams. Russell has four top-five finishes with Mercedes trending in the right direction after initial mixed results. Meanwhile, Stroll is in arguably the second-fastest car but is still struggling with Aston Martin. Despite being in the same machinery as Fernando Alonso – who’s third in the drivers’ standings only behind both Red Bulls – Stroll trails his teammate by a whopping 80 points and sits way back in eighth. In fact, it’s no hyperbole to suggest that Stroll is the reason Aston Martin isn’t in second place in the constructors’ standings.
That raises the question: When is it Albon’s turn? The 27-year-old added a phenomenal result to his resume as teams look to fill potential vacancies. Ironically, the highest-profile seat that might be up for grabs is Perez’s. Checo is technically signed through 2024, but Red Bull has shown ruthlessness in ousting underperforming drivers before.
Could Albon supplant the guy who originally bumped him? Both Mercedes seats could be available, though it seems very likely the team runs it back with Russell and Hamilton. Then there’s Stroll’s seat at Aston Martin, which seems assured so long as his father, Lawrence, owns the team. But can he really continue to tolerate such mediocre drives in the name of nepotism? To paraphrase another former Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo: This is Albon’s time. – Michael Bradburn
Benefit of the doubt running out on Stroll
Let’s continue on Stroll for a little bit more.
The perpetual underperformer earned himself some goodwill at the beginning of the year with an incredible drive in Bahrain to secure sixth barely two weeks after breaking his wrist and toe in a cycling accident.
Since then, though, he’s bested that performance only once and finished outside the points three times. All the while, the might of the Aston Martin he drives becomes clearer each week with continued podium placements from Alonso.
Heading into his home race as the sole Canadian on the grid, Stroll had a huge opportunity to stake his claim as a legitimate force. Instead, he couldn’t make it out of Q2 on Saturday and crossed the line 10th. Mercifully, he claimed a pitiful additional point in the standings thanks to an unsportsmanlike penalty handed to Lando Norris, dropping him five seconds back from P9 to P13. There’s no question that Norris, battling with vastly inferior machinery, deserved that result more than Stroll. If that penalty didn’t happen, and if Russell didn’t suffer a late retirement, Stroll finishes pointless for a fourth time through eight races.
“Our focus had to shift to damage limitation and trying to pick up a couple of points for the team,” Stroll said. “There are still positives to take from the race; the AMR23 felt strong and was performing well.”
Stroll is still just 24 years old and among the youngest on the grid. The fact that he’s had to grow while at the top of motorsport is too often lost. But this is also his seventh year in F1. By comparison, Verstappen – who also broke into F1 at a very young age – was finishing third in the drivers’ standings and routinely claiming podiums in his seventh season back in 2020. At the moment, it doesn’t look like Stroll will ever make that leap. If Lawrence Stroll really wants Aston Martin to compete for the constructors’ championship, a very difficult conversation with Lance may be on the horizon. – Bradburn
Battle for 2nd means a lot
Seeing Verstappen on the top step of almost every race might be a bit boring for non-Red Bull fans, but we’ve luckily got a really fun fight brewing just underneath.
Perez, Alonso, and Hamilton head into Austria separated by just 24 points in the drivers’ standings.
Lewis ? Fernando NEVER disappoints ?
? x @viaplay#CanadianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/JTfP1uxpwn
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 18, 2023
Second place is often viewed as the first loser. Considering Alonso and Hamilton have already claimed multiple F1 titles, you may think that neither of them would care about being runner-up. But there’s a real feeling that each of the three drivers would be more than satisfied being the first behind Verstappen.
Anything other than second will be a major blow for Perez. Despite what would be the highest finish in the drivers’ standings in his career, being beaten by a non-Verstappen driver over the course of the season in such a dominant machine could spell the end to Checo’s time with Red Bull.
Hamilton is coming off a disappointing sixth-place finish in 2022, the worst of his career. Bouncing back for a second-place finish would be huge for his confidence going into next season and will show that Mercedes is back on track. Hamilton is also likely highly motivated to beat one of his longtime rivals in Alonso, as well as his teammate Russell after trailing him by 35 points a season ago.
Alonso’s return to the top has been one of the most surprising stories of the season. He’s already scored 117 points – 36 more than he managed all of 2022 – and has finished on the podium in six of eight races. The 41-year-old finished ninth last season and hasn’t finished as high as second since driving a Ferrari a decade ago. – Wile
Lando the unsportsmanlike?
Aside from taking errant shots at Daniel Ricciardo’s pace last year, Lando Norris seems like one of the most likable and sportsmanlike drivers on the grid. So, why would he be stuck with a five-second “unsportsmanlike” penalty that dropped him from ninth to outside the points in 12th?
Well, it comes down to attempting to defend a position held by teammate Oscar Piastri under virtual safety car conditions. After Russell’s crash into the wall caused a yellow flag on Lap 12, Norris – then in sixth and behind Piastri in fifth – went 50 kph slower than his teammate for four corners, causing a sizeable gap that made it more difficult for the rest of the grid to overtake both McLarens upon the race’s resumption.
“I’m not unsportsmanlike, so it’s impossible,” Norris said while chuckling despite the reprimand that cost McLaren points they’ve had trouble earning this year. “Someone said it’s because I went too slow under VSC. But it doesn’t make sense to me. Everyone goes slow under VSC.”
“I’m not unsportsmanlike”
?? Lando Norris reacts to his ‘unsportsmanlike behaviour’ penalty #CanadianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/6aCKPR4qT8
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 19, 2023
Piastri also finished 11th, so the penalty wasn’t worth it for McLaren, which makes it a slightly harder pill to swallow.
However, if fans of the team are looking for a silver lining amid myriad struggles, it’s that Norris is learning how to drive not only for himself – which he did well alongside Ricciardo – but also for his team. If the car can improve, Norris and Piastri may eventually be a formidable duo. – Bradburn
