F1. Canada 2024 Review

By Richard Gordon, Gavin Huet, Chelsea Wintle and Aiden McLaughlin

Driver of the day

Richard – George Russell. While Lando Norris won the fans’ vote, it was an impressive weekend for George Russell securing both Mercedes’ first pole position, and first podium of the 2024 season. If not for a couple of uncharacteristic mistakes from the Brit, he might have even been pushing for a victory. With his teammate Lewis Hamilton coming home in 4th, this could be a turning point for the Silver Arrows.

Gavin – Lando Norris. He managed to overtake Max Verstappen and then George Russell on consecutive laps at the beginning of the race to take the lead, and did not make any driver errors during the race. If the safety car and tyre choices were slightly different then Lando may have been on the top step of the podium this weekend. In talking about expecting the wins now and to be consistently competitive we are seeing a much more mature Lando that was absent before his maiden race win in Miami.

Chelsea – Max Verstappen overcame a smoky start to the weekend to claim top step of the podium. It wasn’t an exciting drive but it was well-managed and commanding in challenging conditions. Montreal simply couldn’t make up its mind whether it wanted to be wet or dry, and Verstappen was blessed with a well-timed safety car, but I’m not convinced Lando’s McLaren would have had the beans to outlast him either way. More disappointing was the lack of challenge put up by George Russell – a couple of brain farts led to Toto Wolff appearing in his headset telling him to calm down.

Aiden – When the rain comes, you need some luck (see my Moment of the weekend below), but more than that you need to ensure you make no mistakes. Even in a race that Lando Norris, could, and perhaps should have won, the defending world champion Max Verstappen was there when it mattered to take the opportunity when it came. When you see how so many of the big names fell away (his own teammate and both Ferrari drivers to name but three) this was a win that meant a lot, especially after the disappointment and doubts that followed Monaco a fortnight ago.

 

Moment of the weekend

Richard – Norris choosing not to pit under the safety car caused by Sargeant hitting the wall (again). Norris was leading the race and the only frontrunner not to pit immediately under the safety car. While it was initially thought that Norris was past the pit entrance when the safety car was announced, it was later clear he had the chance to pit and they chose not to. He pitted one lap later and ended up behind Max Verstappen and others, costing him what probably would have been another McLaren victory.

Gavin – Alex Albon in the Williams with a sublime overtake to get past both Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon whilst going into a chicane – https://x.com/F1/status/1799947584460501293. In a race that had overtakes, change of leaders, rain, tyres, and groundhogs, that move was a thing of beauty. Yes, he had no real choice but to make it work going into that corner but work it did. A pity his bravery was not rewarded as he was a DNF after Carlos Sainz lost control of his Ferrari and spun backwards into Alex – I know there has been talk about Carlos joining Alex at Williams but I don’t think that is the way to do it though.

Chelsea – Albon’s overtake on both Esteban Ocon and Danny Ricciardo was a thing of true beauty. Seriously, seek it out and marvel; it’s like poetry. Enough said.

Aiden – Just as you can benefit from a safety car deployment, it can also hinder you. Lando Norris saw it go his way in Miami, when he won his first ever F1 race, but in Montreal, it went the other way. But it was close. All in all, the rain made for a really interesting weekend. Yes, Verstappen made for a familiar winner, but it was far from obvious that it would end up that way. An honourable mention for Martin Brundle’s interview with 87-year-old Mary McGee on the grid. Give me that over some of the so-called celebrities that turn up on the grid as VIP’s week in, week out.

 

Hot take of the weekend

Richard – Max Verstappen is an extremely good driver. I know this doesn’t appear to be much of a hot take, but it’s very clear the Red Bull is struggling at the moment. Checo Perez has now been knocked out in Q1 twice in a row, and can’t even overtake the Saubers. Verstappen is struggling with the set up and suspension every week. Right now, this car is a very long way from the rocketship its been over the last few years, and not enough is being said about Verstappen’s ability to continue to grind out race wins with what is most certainly not the best car on the grid.

Gavin – Mercedes are back, their car showed that it had the pace of the frontrunners and they can finally see all their efforts get rewarded. But George Russell must up his game, too many unforced errors from the man who would be the number one driver for Mercedes cost them in the end. He mentioned not being able to be a millimetre out or it would cost you dearly, but that is the same for all the drivers, it is the very essence of F1.

Chelsea – Jacques Villeneuve’s blistering Danny Ricciardo reckons drew headlines on Saturday, describing him as a driver who “can’t cut it” and telling him to “go home, there’s someone else to take your place”. Ricciardo responded in consummate Ricciardo style, qualifying fifth and suggesting Villeneuve might dine on his own excrement. All that being said, it is unlikely we’ll see Ricciardo at his best again. The door to returning to the top Red Bull team is closed, and he’s been consistently outpaced by Yuki Tsunoda this season. It’s still fun having him around though, and I suspect JV knew exactly what he was doing with them fighting words.

Aiden – I don’t think I need to give a hot take this week to be honest, Jacques Villeneuve gave enough of a hot take to last the rest of the season after free practice on day one of the weekend. Sky Sports UK, and whoever takes their feed around the world, must have (a) done a double take when Villeneuve started to get stuck into Daniel Ricciardo, but when the Australian returned serve after qualifying the next day, they must have been rubbing their collective hands with glee. For what it’s worth, I think that there was plenty of substance in what the former world champion said, as harsh as it may have sounded. With Yuki Tsunoda confirmed in the *deep breath* Visa Cash App RB F1 Team for 2025, Ricciardo knows the pressure is on for the rest of the season if he is to secure his spot alongside the man from Japan and deny Liam Lawson that seat.

 

Cold take of the weekend

Richard – Can we have some intermittent showers every weekend? The constant moisture really livened up the action, leading to what was probably the most entertaining race of the season so far. Perhaps the Middle East are onto something when they talk about “cloud seeding” and artificially creating rain. In particular, the conditions really suited the Mercedes – don’t expect them to be on the podium regularly.

Gavin – Jacques Villeneuve the pundit should be rolled out every few races just to keep everyone honest. His assessment of Daniel Ricciardo was so savage it should have come with a content warning (watch here if you haven’t already https://x.com/ScrewderiaF1/status/1799199222782124346). Was it harsh, probably. Was it fair, also probably. The problem is that F1 is currently a bit of a bromance zone where everyone is best friends with everyone else, which is quite a departure from the F1 of yesteryear, therefore statements such as these come across as overboard especially to the new generation of fans who were introduced to the sport via Drive To Survive on Netflix. Yes, every driver is doing their best and they are the top drivers in the world etc. etc. but sometimes they need a reality check.

Chelsea – Ferrari, what? Being a Blackcaps fan serves me well for this emotional rollercoaster. Charles Leclerc looked in trouble from the start, with engine issues dropping him down the order before he retired on lap 43. Later, Carlos Sainz spun out on turn 7, snuffing out his points hopes and Alex Albon’s in one fell swoop. Still, it’s a step up from the inexplicable strategic calls under Binotto’s reign, and hope springs eternal for Catalunya in two weeks’ time.

Aiden – Boy oh boy Red Bull – are you sure about that signing of Sergio Perez for another two seasons? Giving him and the team certainty hasn’t exactly started well, has it? Christian Horner had a revolving door next to Verstappen after Ricciardo left for Renault at the end of 2018, with Pierre Gasly, then Alex Albon taking the job on, but since 2021 they have persisted with the Mexican, despite massive swings in form. If Perez can’t sort his you-know-what out to help Red Bull win the constructors championship this season, maybe we’ll all suddenly find that contact extension was written in invisible ink after all.

Follow Chelsea   Aiden Gavin and Richard   on Twitter