Montréal Mayhem: The Battle for Supremacy Ignites!

 

What a race we witnessed yesterday at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montréal! Here at Senate HQ, we’re still trying to unpack all the action, not to mention the thrilling championship season we're experiencing.

Several times this year, I've written about the inevitable moment when Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will have to set aside their cultivated, PR-friendly "best friends" narrative. The idea that they'll share the racetrack and the points nicely, cuddly, and cute, with whoever comes out on top at the end of the season winning amicably? I don't buy it.

When Oscar wins, I look at Lando Norris’s body language. When Lando wins, I cut to Oscar Piastri’s reaction. Then, my eyes go straight to Zak Brown and the immense challenge he’s trying to manage. At some point this season—and I think we might have reached it—these two drivers are going to have to park their friendship until after they retire.

Simply because there can be only one World Drivers' Champion. It’s as simple as that, and whoever wants it more will fight tooth and nail for every single point. 

Mika Häkkinen famously said he didn’t sleep for nine months during his epic battle with Michael Schumacher, knowing every single point was vital.

Russell's Masterclass and Antonelli's Delight

This brings me to a huge congratulations to George Russell. That Mercedes looked almost unbeatable. They were entirely on point in practice sessions and qualifying, and George ran a completely flawless lap. 

Upon watching the ghost lap comparison between Max Verstappen and George Russell in qualifying, it appeared that Max made a slight mistake in the 12 and 13 final chicane, experiencing a kick of oversteer that he corrected, costing him a few tenths. However, let’s not take anything away from George Russell; he ran a fantastic race, executed flawlessly, and won an exceptional Canadian Grand Prix.

Then there’s young Kimi Antonelli, who is now one of the youngest-ever podium winners in Formula 1®! He looked delighted, and with Max and George Russell giving him the champagne shower of his life, you could see the entire grid, and the fans were genuinely happy that this young man finally got his first Formula 1® podium.

Max's Resilience and McLaren's Close Call

Max Verstappen had an exceptional race. He could have even qualified first on the grid. The car looked good, it had pace, it was well-balanced, and with Max behind the wheel, anything is truly possible.

Watching Oscar and Lando Norris go wheel-to-wheel, seeing the papaya orange McLarens fight it out and come together… Lando came off as the unfortunate one. However, wasn't Oscar lucky not to get a puncture? I’ve been watching Formula 1® for 40 years, and 9.9 times out of 10, that kind of contact causes a puncture for the other driver, so Oscar was lucky to get away with the coming together at such speeds.

That would have significantly closed the gap in the World Drivers' Championship standings!

But as it stands, there are still four drivers firmly in the running, with Oscar sitting proudly on top now. Never, ever write off Max Verstappen.

We’re now halfway through the season. There are going to be plenty of DNFs, plenty of "coming together," plenty of action, and plenty of unreliability issues for everyone. With the grid being so incredibly close, George Russell won the race, but Max Verstappen was breathing down his neck by only two-tenths. Christian Horner and the team at Red Bull will be relentless in their pursuit of the WDC this season.

And in this exhilarating dogfight...

And as always, when the lights go out and the drama unfolds, here at Senate Grand Prix, there is only one winner, and that's you, the race fans!