In Canada, the Dutchman won for the sixth time this season, making it one of his toughest victories in recent memory.
Max Verstappen knuckled down to keep his rivals at arm’s length to record his sixth race victory of the season despite Lando Norris’s frustration with his team, George Russell’s string of errors, and Lewis Hamilton’s recollection of the “worst race I’ve driven” at the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix of Formula One. The Dutchman is aware that it is not simply a continuation of Red Bull’s dominance in 2023.
After saying on the radio that he couldn’t go on the kerbs because of his suspension, Verstappen told the team that they have to fix a “number of issues.”
He also struggled with bottoming, which is a bouncing effort made by aerodynamic flow, in Miami and Imola. The victory in Canada wasn’t easy either.
Verstappen needed to pass Russell and Norris for the lead, and he surrendered Mercedes “had the quicker vehicle” on the day.
Indeed, Red Bull boss Christian Horner did not underestimate the challenge of winning a race with two safety car restarts, multiple weather changes, and car issues.
“Max scored a well-earned victory today. “Just look at him on the restarts, and look at how he was able to really use the conditions,” Horner told the Canadian press, including Total-Motorsport.com.
I believe he was at his best and worked well with the pit wall.
Verstappen is frequently cited as an illustration of how having the best car can propel a driver to dominance in a sporting event.
This season is proving to be an adequate litmus test for that theory, but it is clearly reductive and inaccurate to suggest that that is the only reason why the 26-year-old is a three-time world champion and now a 60-time race winner.
It is broadly accepted Red Bull never again have the speediest vehicle on the framework, with Ferrari and McLaren hot behind them.
That is reflected by his colleague Sergio Perez’s new downturn, as he neglected to make Q3 in every one of the last three qualifying meetings.
Verstappen, on the other hand, was on pole in Imola, sixth in Monaco, and second only to Russell in a dead heat in Montreal qualifying.
It frequently feels like he has an alternate vehicle, given his certainty on the brakes and valiance in rapid corners, yet he doesn’t.
