MONTREAL – For the last 16 laps of the Montreal Grand Prix, Max Verstappen had only one road ahead of him. And Carlos Sainz with new tires, eager for his first victory in Formula 1, in his rearview mirror.
Verstappen held on to victory on Sunday. With his sixth victory in nine races this season, the Dutch driver increased his lead in the championship standings to 46 points over his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez, who retired on Sunday due to gearbox problems. .
“The last 15 or 16 laps we were ready, pushing to the limit. I knew, of course, that I couldn’t go wrong. But it was a good race,” said Verstappen, who also won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. a week before.
“He was very close all the time. (Sainz) was constantly in my DRS (drag reduction system). I don’t think he left once, so the pressure is always on.”
Verstappen, 24, finished just 0.993 seconds ahead of Sainz, who vanished during the final lap of the 70-lap race.
“When I gave it my all, I was risking everything,” the Spaniard said. “I can tell you I was pushing. I left everything out there. For the first time this season I can say I’ve been the fastest man on the track, which gives me confidence and a little hope for the next ones. races “.
Mercedes seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was third on his first podium since finishing third at the start of the season in Bahrain.
“Today’s pace is really big,” said Hamilton, who ranks sixth in the standings. “And it’s very nice to see her. It hasn’t always been the case I’ve had with this car. So it’s a pleasure to have a little good battle with her today … she or he, whatever you call her car.
“I just want to be in a battle with these guys.”
Hamilton got out of his car with a loud roar of about 100,000 sun-drenched spectators as Formula One made its triumphant return to Montreal after a three-year hiatus.
It was a very different picture from a week earlier, when Hamilton felt what he called an unbearable back pain in Azerbaijan due to the bounce – or “porpoise” of his car.
Toto Wolff, director of the Mercedes team, said they had increased the height of the car to reduce bounces.
The Montreal Lance Stroll started 17th and finished 10th for Aston Martin to run with the helmet he had made for the event: white with the Maple Leaf and the map of Montreal.
Stroll’s racing strategy was to go long with his first set of tires, so he would only have to pit once. For several laps before finally pitting, half a dozen cars were left behind. The stations called it the “Walking Train.”
“We had a great strategy for this race and I’m super happy to have been able to add a point,” Stroll said. “We did a great job … to make a single race work, keeping a series of cars behind me.
“Things are definitely a lot harder this year, but I’m glad I had a successful race today.”
Toronto driver Nicholas Latifi finished 16th for Williams.
As the race fell on Father’s Day, the top three finishers reflected on theirs. Verstappen’s father, Jos, was an F1 driver who ran in Montreal several times. He devoted his time after retirement to Max’s career.
“I hope you enjoyed it today,” Verstappen said. “I’m sure he was very nervous out there. He’s always nervous. So yeah, at least we got it. So it was a good gift, I think.”
Hamilton said his father Anthony would have given anything to be a racing driver.
“But coming from humble beginnings, and only with the dream of creating a better opportunity for his children than him, I am forever grateful to my father,” the 37-year-old said.
“To be in (Montreal) for our first Grand Prix victory in 2007, knowing everything he did to raise money and almost sell us the shirt on his back to keep competing, I hope he is proud today.”
Hamilton’s teammate in Mercedes, George Russell, finished fourth. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who came off the bottom of the grid due to a penalty for changing engines, was fifth.
Fernando Alonso of Alpine started in the front row for the first time in 10 years. A five-second penalty for weaving dropped the 40-year-old from seventh to ninth.
A day after Pérez fell in the standings, the Mexican driver’s day ended on lap 9 when he lost power.
“I’ve lost the engine,” he said frantically. “I’m stuck on the go.”
Haas’ Mick Schumacher retired on lap 20, while the day ended for Alpha Tauri’s Yuki Tsunoda on lap 50.
Montreal F-1 races were canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19.
“It’s been amazing to run home after so much time away,” Stroll said.
The three-day event drew a record 338,000 spectators, in part due to the construction of two new grandstands.
The sunny Sunday morning for race day was a welcome relief after three days of rain.
The return of F1 to Montreal also coincided with the 40th anniversary of the death of Gilles Villeneuve, whose name is given to the track on the banks of the St. Lawrence River.
The series is heading to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix on 3 July.