F1 classic proved Verstappen and Norris revelations - GPFans Canadian GP Hot Takes

O Canada! We were treated to a thrilling race around the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, with the Canadian Grand Prix making a strong statement to remain on the F1 calendar.

Changeable weather conditions, spectacular overtakes, and of course those cheeky marmots, Canada was a high point of the 2024 season.

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Whilst Max Verstappen achieved his sixth race win of the season, he was forced to fight for it with Lando Norris close to snatching victory with an overcut.

Lewis Hamilton was also in touching distance of a podium, however a late overtake from his team-mate George Russell denied him third place, and confirms his longest streak without a podium.

At the other end of the grid, Williams and Ferrari were the biggest losers in Montreal, with all four drivers from both teams retiring.

Despite Verstappen extending his lead in the drivers' championship, the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix has cemented itself as a modern day classic.

Here’s what our GPFans journalists had to say about the Canadian Grand Prix…

Stuart Hodge - Chief Editor

That was thrilling, wasn't it?

Safety car timing probably decided the race winner but the drivers were allowed to race and there's nothing more demonstrative of these superstars' abilities than seeing them tested on a circuit with so many different challenges and in those kind of conditions.

Have to say, Sergio Perez is absolutely not deserving of his new deal. Once more that was proved by complete mediocrity at the tail end of the grid.

But, aye, hot takes isn't it: this is one of the best tracks in F1, don't @ me, and it's no surprise that the two drivers who are now much better than the rest were on the top two steps of the podium.

Verstappen and Norris are streets ahead. It's not close.

Dan Ripley - Deputy Editor

As usual, throw some rain at a grand prix and you get an almost instant classic. Former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone once commented on introducing sprinklers into the sport and was promptly laughed at.

He may have been onto something. Granted, Verstappen won again but this was by far the best race of the year even given that. Drivers were tested, we saw some cracking overtakes and also race changing retirements.

The biggest move of them? George Russell robbing Lewis Hamilton of his first podium since Mexico last year after a cracking late pass. Are the times changing with Russell and Norris now the face of British F1?

READ MORE: F1 fans hit by Canadian Grand Prix 'cancelled' blunder

Ronan Murphy - Social Media Editor

There are many complaints about adding more and more races to the Formula 1 calendar, but one of the main ones should be the fact that many of these purpose-built circuits are placed in regions that never get rain.

Las Vegas, Miami, Jeddah, Lusail, these are places that do not get a lot of rainfall, especially not on race days.

And the one thing that the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix taught us is that F1 needs rain. It needs wet races. They are far more thrilling than any other type of event in the sport.

Everyone who grew up watching F1 has a favourite race from their childhood, and a lot of those have one thing in common: rain.

Spa, Suzuka, Silverstone. Many of these tracks’ most iconic moments have come in the wet.

Montreal 2024 gave us another incredible race and reminded us that inclement weather is what we need most of all.

Chris Deeley - Chief Editor GPFans US

A genuine classic from the years of old – one of the handful of races in the Verstappen Era that you can realistically see making it onto an F1 Classics YouTube page a decade or two down the line.

Even then, the fact that Verstappen won makes the race seem less competitive than it really was. If Logan Sargeant hadn’t hastened his own exit from the sport with his second crash of the day to bring out a safety car, Lando Norris would’ve been miles up the road. Safety car luck evens itself out.

Oh yeah, and…Mercedes are good again? We might seriously have four teams challenging for wins in the second half of the season? And we haven’t even got the summer upgrades yet? Strap in.

Tyler Rowlinson - F1 Journalist

And… breathe!

Canada never fails to disappoint and throw a spanner into the works for the world championship and it certainly did this year.

Safety cars, poor weather, new and unpredictable track surface, pit stop strategies, retirements, incredible on-track battles, it had it all… and yet Max Verstappen comes out on top after all that.

McLaren and Mercedes provided us with the greatest fight so far this season, delivering non-stop entertainment right until the chequered flag. Russell will be frustrated to not win and Hamilton will be gutted with missing out on the podium, but both drove admirably as the Silver Arrows’ new front wing did wonders for their performance.

It was a disastrous weekend for both Ferrari and Sergio Perez however. A double retirement for the Scuderia caps off a dismal weekend for them as their gap to Red Bull widens, while Perez will not be silencing his critics with that performance.

It would be odd not to give a mention to Jacques Villeneuve in this too. That man has not held back and has provided some absolute gems over this weekend! Personally, I hope to see more from him on Sky Sports’ coverage.

READ MORE: Verstappen SUMMONED by FIA after huge drama in Canada

Kerry Violet - F1 Journalist

If you were harbouring any doubts over whether Canada should remain on the calendar, this weekend’s event brought us the most exciting battle on track so far this year.

What is up for debate is George Russell’s ability to deliver. Finishing one spot below fellow Brit Lando Norris, he demonstrated his inability to convert a pole position to a win under pressure.

Having won his first and only grand prix in Brazil (and not from pole position mind) he only continues to prove he can’t take the heat.

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson - F1 Journalist

After the procession that was the Monaco Grand Prix, racing in Canada has reminded us all why we love the sport.

It was a race that had it all - a wet track in drying conditions, safety cars, and most importantly, multiple drivers vying for the victory, something we do not see often enough.

After all the talk of Red Bull’s demise in recent weeks, I can’t help but focus on Verstappen taking yet another victory.

Although he was made to work for it, the Dutchman scooped up his sixth grand prix win this season with relative ease.

Coupled with Ferrari’s double DNF disaster, Verstappen extended his lead at the top of the drivers’ championship.

McLaren and Ferrari may well be closing in on Red Bull, but today we were once again reminded that there is only one man who is going to win the drivers’ championship.

Rhys Thomas - F1 Journalist

Sergio Perez continued to dance to the tune of his critics as he produced another calamitous weekend in Montreal. After a Q1 exit and retirement in Monaco, the Red Bull ‘star’ managed to repeat the feat in Canada.

He even went one better on this occasion by crashing out all on his own. With disastrous performances either side of his contract extension, the Mexican has done little to quiet those who feel he has not done enough to keep a seat at the top team.

Some solace to Perez's critics is the news that his ‘two-year’ deal is actually a one-year-plus-one agreement, meaning he is not guaranteed to see in the 2026 regulations.

The conundrum for Red Bull was stark in the closing laps in Canada as two McLarens and two Mercedes closed in on a lonely Max Verstappen.

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