The American then suffered another disaster as on lap 24, he spun at turn four and had a slight brush with the barriers.
Facing the wrong way, the safety car was deployed so the marshals could look to move the stricken Williams, who retired from the race.
Logan Sargeant's spin brought out the safety car in CanadaMax Verstappen took the lead after stopping for fresh tyres
Verstappen retakes the lead in Canada
The incident threw the race into chaos, with several drivers coming in for fresh tyres.
Lando Norris, who had been leading by over 11 seconds, opted to stay out on track when the safety car came out and when he eventually did come in, Max Verstappen took the lead, leaving the McLaren in third behind George Russell.
Racing action got back under way on lap 30, with the Red Bull leading the charge as DRS was again disabled after more rain began to fall.