Question of luck that Max Verstappen did not drop out

This article was last updated on June 19, 2023

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Lucky Escape for Verstappen

According to driver Ho-Pin Tung, Max Verstappen was lucky that he did not drop out at the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday. The Dutchman hit a bird at the start of the race, which then got stuck in his car. After the race, it turned out that Verstappen had carried the bird in the air intake of his brakes throughout the race.

“It was certainly a matter of luck that it didn’t fall out. At Spa last year we saw a tear-off from a visor get into a brake duct and cause problems. A bird stuck in a brake duct delivers of course just as much of a risk. In general, Canada is also one of the toughest tracks for the brakes.”

Leclerc’s Anger

Charles Leclerc was furious with his Ferrari team after qualifying because he was not allowed to switch to dry weather tires earlier. Could you understand his anger?

“On the one hand yes, but on the other hand not. It’s also a bit in his head. He wasn’t the only one in that boat, Verstappen eventually did the same. Almost everyone first went on track with intermediates, so it was not surprising that Ferrari asked Leclerc to set a banker lap, a first lap time. Leclerc’s situation was not unique in that respect. If he had immediately set a good lap time on his intermediates, nothing would have happened because then he could have changed faster.”

Kudos to Sainz and Leclerc

Ferrari seemed to have excellent speed in the race, both drivers finished well ahead of number six Sergio Pérez. Should we give kudos to Sainz and Leclerc for that or was that bad from Pérez?

“It may sound strange because Verstappen won quite unthreatened, but the Red Bulls were not as strong as normal this race. That is also a bit due to the characteristics of the circuit, with really only slow corners and straights. The circuit generates relatively little energy for tires and therefore it is more difficult to get them up to temperature. Red Bull excels this year in managing the tires, something that is clearly reflected on a high energy circuit such as Barcelona.”

“It’s the other way around at Ferrari. They often have a hard time in that area, but that made it better here to get the tires in the optimal window. We also have to say honestly that Ferrari did a smart job in terms of strategy Overtaking proved quite difficult. They preferred free air to fresh new tyres, stuck to their one-stop strategy and in the end it worked out well.”

Verstappen’s Milestone Chase

Verstappen equaled Senna with his 41st victory and can theoretically also pass Alain Prost (51 victories) and Sebastian Vettel (53) this year. Will he succeed in that mission?

“When it comes to Verstappen and milestones, I’m not surprised at all this season, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he also passes or equals those drivers. Verstappen’s dominance is so incredibly great at the moment. Maybe it looks like Aston Martin and Mercedes are a little bit closer after Canada, but I think it’s mostly down to the track characteristics and Red Bull is still way ahead.”

No Cause for Concern for De Vries

Finally, should Nyck de Vries be concerned now that he has again been noticed in a negative way?

“Until that moment with Magnussen he drove a relatively invisible race. He was close behind his teammate Yuki Tsunoda for some time. The AlphaTauris had a hard time on this circuit anyway. The top speed was not the best, in qualifying they were by far in that area slowest. Then as a driver you automatically take a little more risk.”

“He made a good overtake in turn 2, I was surprised that Magnussen stayed there aggressively on the outside because you’re very vulnerable then. Something flew off his car as well, so they both lost momentum. Nyck’s action afterwards was a bit optimistic. You don’t have to brake that hard for that chicane. He had to come from far, braked on the inside and on the onboard you even heard the squealing sound of the tire. There was also little grip there.”

“I don’t know if he should be worried, but the AlphaTauri had no speed at all here. Tsuonda was also unable to fight further forward. In general, the overtaking actions throughout the race were also disappointing here.”