(Montreal) Red Bull driver Max Verstappen won the Canadian Formula 1 Grand Prix on Sunday, signing his first career victory on the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit.
Posted at 3:41 p.m.
Verstappen won the 70-lap event which took place under sunny skies and a comfortable 19 degrees Celsius after finishing ahead of Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz Jr., while the podium was completed by the Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton.
The Dutchman, reigning world champion, at the same time recorded his sixth victory in nine races this season, and widened the gap at the top of the general classification.
Mercedes driver George Russell finished just off the podium, ahead of the other Scuderia driver, Charles Leclerc, who made a remarkable comeback after starting the 19e place on the grid.
Alpine riders Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso, who started from second place alongside Verstappen, followed in sixth and seventh. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo), Guanyu Zhou (Alfa Romeo) and Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) completed the top-10.
Stroll, from Mont-Tremblant, also signed his third top-10 this season, and now has three ranking points.
For his part, Toronto’s Nicholas Latifi finished 16e for Williams.
Red Bull driver Sergio Perez, second in the driver’s standings before the event, retired on lap nine with a gearbox problem.
Mick Schumacher (engine) and Yuki Tsunoda (exit) were also unable to reach the finish.
The Canadian Grand Prix was presented for the first time since 2019. The 2020 and 2021 editions had been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The big F1 circus will now move to Silverstone on July 3 with the presentation of the British Grand Prix.