Back with a bang: the TOP & FLOP column! Who dropped the ball at the Grand Prix of Canada and who stole the show? Brace yourself: here are our picks!
TOP
Max Verstappen
Winner, so by definition, top? Absolutely! But more so because of the way he did it. Flawless in the race, along with his team. And that after a weekend that initially seemed quite challenging. Verstappen single-handedly saved the day for Red Bull: victory number 6 of the season is a fact. And what a victory it was.
Alpine
Two cars in the points, Alpine is certainly making progress. Pierre Gasly’s P9 was Alpine’s best result this season and Esteban Ocon’s P10 also marked the first double points finish this year. Très bien!
Haas
They got the flowers, but not the points. Literally, as Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hülkenberg finished in Montreal as eleventh and twelfth. Yet, what Haas did was top-notch: with a daring and different strategy, the driver duo cut through the Formula 1 butter in the early stages of the race: one went from 14 to 4, the other from 17 to 7. Impressive. And fun, while it lasted.
FLOP
Sergio Pérez
Once again, Sergio Pérez failed to make it past Q1, struggled throughout the race, and went off the track due to his own mistakes. What is going on with Pérez? Red Bull has sacrificed drivers for less. Yet, the Mexican driver has been granted a new contract, even a multi-year one. This makes his weekend in Canada all the more painful. Oh dear.
Ferrari
From hero to zero, this English saying has rarely been more applicable to a Formula 1 team and driver than to Ferrari and Charles Leclerc in Canada. After their impressive success in Monaco, it was back to chaos for the Italians. Leclerc retired due to engine problems and was oddly sent out on slicks during a pit stop while the rain was only getting heavier. Teammate Carlos Sainz didn’t fare much better: a colorless race ended with an unnecessary spin and a retirement.
George Russell
Securing pole position and consistently beating a seven-time world champion as a teammate is quite an achievement. However, George Russell is gaining a reputation for unnecessary mistakes. The race in Canada confirmed this once again. Not once, not twice, but three (!) times he messed up. No victory, not even P2. The third place was – according to him – a poor consolation in a race full of missed opportunities. He needs to improve. Or, as team boss Toto Wolff communicated via the radio: ‘FOCUS George, FOCUS’.
