Max Verstappen suffered a heavy defeat at the Monaco GP at the hands of Charles Leclerc. While waiting for the next race in Canada, the Dutchman wasn’t too thrilled with Red Bull’s chances of a win. However, he beat all the odds to emerge triumphant and build a healthy lead in the championship over his rivals. That, according to Sky F1’s Naomi Schiff, was made possible by the rain-induced wet track conditions.
The Canadian GP wasn’t a regular rain-affected race. It started with a wet surface, evolved to a dry track once the rain stopped, and finally came back to where it all started.
That sent teams like Mercedes and McLaren into panic, causing some voluntary and some involuntary strategic blunders. Red Bull and Verstappen, however, were on their toes and extracted a hard-fought win, with some luck aiding them as well. Speaking on a recent episode of the Sky Sports F1 Podcast, Schiff said,
“Had there been a completely dry race, I don’t think it would’ve been theirs. Whilst he (Verstappen) did manage to fend them off a little bit, they didn’t really seem as comfortable as the other teams, particularly Mercedes, who had outright pace all weekend long.”
Mercedes’ pace did come as a surprise, given their record so far in the season. Riding on the success of the upgrades introduced in Monaco, and some tweaks in Canada, the team seems to have found the right balance.
McLaren’s pace, however, wasn’t a surprise. Lando Norris was also in the lead of the race briefly. That was until an untimely safety car allowed his rivals such as Verstappen to have a cheap pit stop, and pass him on track when he pitted under green flag conditions.
As a result of Verstappen’s win, Red Bull are now in a comfortable position in the championship. Before the Canadian GP, the lead over second-placed Ferrari was reduced to just 24 points. That gap has now increased to 49 points.
Red Bull has turned the tables on Ferrari
Owing to the bumpy nature of the track and the need to attack the kerbs, the Canadian track wasn’t the best suited for Red Bull. That is the reason why they dubbed Barcelona as the real test for their upgrades.
The Spanish GP will kick off a grueling triple-header with tracks that will most likely play into Red Bull’s hands. The smooth surface of the Catalonian track will give them a better understanding of the upgrades. Austria and Great Britain will then further help them settle any nerves and build a bigger gap over their rivals.
Ferrari, meanwhile, has spilled a golden opportunity to pull off another win and reduce the gap to the top. Unless they manage to halt the reigning champions’ juggernaut in the upcoming three fixtures, they will find it difficult to fight for the Constructors’ Championship this year.
