Two weeks after his disappointing sixth place in Monaco, three-time reigning F1 world champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull) will try to get back to winning ways this weekend at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.
Beaten twice in the last three races, by the Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) in the Principality and by the Briton Lando Norris (McLaren) in Miami, the Dutchman has less margin than last season.
However, the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit, which he really likes, should suit his car better. Double title holder in Quebec, Verstappen seems able to achieve the pass of three.
“The route is really unique, with older generation curbs and there are many more opportunities to overtake. It will therefore be essential to have the right settings for the car and to find the balance between speed in a straight line and stability when braking,” detailed the Dutchman.
On the banks of the Saint Lawrence River, his teammate at Red Bull Sergio Pérez will also be eagerly awaited while the Austrian team has just announced its extension until 2026, “very good news” according to Verstappen, who said “happy to continue this fruitful partnership which has lasted for several years. »
Relieved to keep his wheel for two more seasons, even if at Red Bull the drivers are never completely safe from being replaced during the year, the Mexican will now be able to drive more liberated.
“It feels good to see that the team believes in me to continue the adventure until 2026. I am really delighted to have the confidence of the team. We have a lot of work ahead of us,” Pérez underlined.
As always this season, Red Bull will have to fend off increasingly better-armed competitors, like Ferrari, which won pole position and victory in Monaco thanks to Leclerc, finally a prophet in his country.
“We arrive in Canada full of enthusiasm and everyone is ready to give their all. The track is different from Monaco, it is much faster and with more possibilities for overtaking, but that will not change our approach because we are moving in the right direction. The smallest detail can make the difference,” explained Frédéric Vasseur, the boss of the Scuderia.
Alpine wants to turn the page
McLaren also arrives very confidently in Quebec after the second place of the Australian Oscar Piastri in Monaco, which was preceded by a second place for Norris in Imola and especially a victory for the Briton in Miami.
The new features introduced to the single-seater last month seem to be working very well and the Woking team should also be in the fight for the podium this weekend.
“Our car has performed well on different types of circuits so far, but we know that everything can be called into question this weekend in Canada, where our opponents will be strong,” said Norris.
The Alpine team will also be closely scrutinized in Montreal after the collision between its two cars, which occurred in Monaco, and especially the declarations of the director of the French team Bruno Famin, who had declared directly on Canal + that he was going to having to “cut to the chase”.
Esteban Ocon, at the origin of the collision after having attempted a kamikaze overtake on his teammate Pierre Gasly, will be in the seat of his car in Canada while a suspension had been mentioned by certain media, information described as “rumor » by the mark with the arrowed A to the AFP.
But Alpine announced this week the departure of Ocon at the end of this season after five years of collaboration. If this separation seemed inevitable, the incident in the Principality precipitated it.
The team will therefore want to turn the page in Quebec and try to confirm its timid recovery after a catastrophic start to the season. With only two small points on the clock, Alpine is in 9th place out of 10 in the manufacturers’ ranking, far from its ambitions.