Among other things, the Canadian GP is famous for one thing, groundhogs. The lowland North American creatures make an appearance on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve almost every year and 2024 was no different. However, this year, the found personality almost had an incident with Max Verstappen. The Dutchman revealed after the weekend he almost killed a groundhog on the track.
The groundhog is a famous character among the fans in Canada. However, it is a source of major annoyance for the drivers. These rodents make sudden appearances on certain parts of the track catching drivers off-guard. This is exactly what happened with Verstappen as well and he almost ran over it.
“He was almost dead. I thought it was debris initially, but then I was like oh my god, it’s an animal. I really had to slow down for it,” he said according to Luke Smith.
Turns out Max Verstappen had a near-miss with a groundhog mid-race: “He was almost dead. I thought it was debris initially, but then I was like oh my god, it’s an animal. I really had to slow down for it.” #F1 #CanadianGP
— Luke Smith (@LukeSmithF1) June 9, 2024
However, not only the groundhog, the reigning champion also saved the race for Red Bull. Despite struggling on an unfavorable and wet track and rivals like McLaren and Mercedes hassling him, the Dutchman pushed the car to the limit, securing a difficult victory.
This was something no one saw coming based on Red Bull’s overall performance of the weekend. Regardless, this win keeps Red Bull slightly ahead of the competition in the championship standings, courtesy of Verstappen’s individual brilliance.
The Max Verstappen factor that helped Red Bull secure the win in Canada
It was a common understanding that Circuit Gilles Villeneuve was not a favorable track for the recently exposed weaknesses of the RB20. Verstappen made it crystal clear with his complaints about the car’s stability on the kerbs. Despite that, he matched the pole sitter’s time on a circuit that requires a driver to ride the kerbs for the best lap time.
The Dutchman managed a tricky race and came out on top for the last stint with a little help from the safety car. However, after taking the lead, despite being on older tires and not being able to ride the kerbs, he extended his advantage to 5 seconds. The performance in Canada is proof the three-time champion is in a league of his own.
He not only kept the McLaren behind him but also convincingly beat the faster Mercedes men. Turning the tables around even in unfavorable conditions is exactly why the 26-year-old has dominated so much in the past two years. With his win in Montreal, Verstappen has won 50 of the last 75 races.
So, if Red Bull are looking to defend their titles this year with the increased competition, Verstappen needs to keep delivering at his high benchmark.
