F1 Canadian Grand Prix: Can George Russell hold off Max Verstappen?

Last season there were only three A driver wins an F1 Grand Prix: Max Verstappen, Sergio Pérez, Carlos Sainz Jr.

Today’s Canadian Grand Prix was the ninth Grand Prix of the season and saw four different drivers – Verstappen, Sainz, Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc – step onto the top step of the podium. This fact alone speaks to how dense the field has been this year, especially at the front of the grid, and the potential for a title fight to break out in F1.

Can George Russell get five?

Russell performed brilliantly in qualifying, setting the exact same time as Verstappen in Q3, but the Mercedes driver took first lap to secure pole position and a chance to win his first race of the 2024 season. But what will it take to hold off the three-time Drivers’ Champion starting alongside him?

According to the Mercedes driver, it was a bit of strategy and probably a bit of luck too.

“I think it’s going to be a tough race for everyone, to be honest. Graining is going to be an issue and with this new surface, who knows how it’s going to work, but we’ve got to go for the win,” Russell said. After Saturday’s qualifying.

“This car is really fast right now. But it’s going to be a long race. If we go off a cliff, [tires] “It’s going to be really tough to bounce back tomorrow,” Russell added. “So, for sure, it could be a bit of a tactical game. Maybe not as extreme as Monaco last week, but it could be something similar.”

Here is the full starting grid, along with some questions that will be answered later today:

Can Max Verstappen come out on top?

One of the most uncomfortable positions to be in in F1 over the past few seasons has been P1… when you have only Max Verstappen in your rear-view mirror.

It’s Russell going into Turn 1 and then Turn 2, known as the Virage Senna.

Can Russell hold him off? And if he does manage to maintain his lead, how long can he hold it for?

If you look at their fastest laps yesterday – Verstappen’s performance in Q3 and Russell’s 1:11.742 in Q2, which was the fastest lap of anyone on Saturday – you can see that Russell and the W15 had the advantage over Verstappen.

In a straight:

This is telemetry data from two laps. F1 Tempo. Russell’s strength on the straights, especially on the long Casino Straight towards the final chicane beside the Wall of Champions, could prove to be a big asset in Sunday’s race.

It’s also a departure from recent years, when the sheer power of Red Bull’s challengers gave them the advantage on sections like the Casino Straight. For example, here’s telemetry data from last year’s Canadian Grand Prix, where Verstappen won with Fernando Alonso finishing second.

Times have changed.

Verstappen has a chance to win on Sunday, but that’s not guaranteed, as it has been in past years.

What is the right strategy?

That may be the biggest question heading into Sunday.

Considering that Montreal’s course has been newly resurfaced, what would be the right strategy?

According to Pirelli’s strategy guide, Montreal’s new surface makes a two-stop strategy the best solution for teams.

But which two stops? The medium-hard-hard one shown first? Or the medium-hard-medium one offered as option two?

Pirelli’s motorsport director Mario Isola said the graining and degradation issues seen with the medium tyres this weekend made option 1 more likely.

“We were lucky enough to have one session in dry conditions,” Isola said. “We were looking to combine a one-stop and two-stop strategy, but the wear and degradation of the medium compound was greater than we expected. As a result, I think the team will go for two stops.”

Will a team that starts outside the points go for a one-stop race? This is the route that Alexander Albon took to claim seventh place in last year’s race. He pitted on lap 12 to switch from the medium compound to the hard tyre. He then performed well on that hard tyre for 58 laps and delivered a great result.

Could this be Sergio Pérez’s path to points?

Of course, this is all assuming a dry race…

What will the weather be like in the future?

This may be the biggest question of the day.

What do the weather gods have in store for the Montreal fields?

by Weather Channel, There is a 58% chance of rain. Just after the lights went out on the Canadian Grand Prix, and a little earlier, rain caused such an outcome in one of the support races, the Porsche Carrera Cup North America.

Drivers and teams have discussed the potential impact of the weather throughout the week and said Sunday’s outcome could depend on which teams get their strategy right and when they do it.

That seems more likely as the Canadian Grand Prix approaches.

What about Aston Martin?

A team that has fallen down the pecking order and received less attention this season?

Aston Martin.

They were the favorites at the start of last season, as evidenced by Alonso’s second place finish in this race last year, but they were unable to get to Montreal. 5th in the Constructors’ Championship They are 52 points behind fourth-placed Mercedes.

Will they be able to put on a revival performance today?

Saturday was a good result for the team, with Alonso starting from sixth place and Lance Stroll also starting from ninth, putting them within the points, giving Aston Martin a very good chance of achieving something they have only done twice this season.

Double points weekend.

Team principal Mike Clueck said after qualifying that the Montreal circuit might be a good fit for the AMR24.

“In Montreal, with little to no rain forecast for the afternoon, we achieved our target of both cars making it into Q3. Our pace was better in our ‘home’ race, but we’re not overly confident. It was close, but it was encouraging to be only a few tenths of a second off pole,” said Klug.

“We made effective use of second-hand goods. [tires] “This allowed Lance and Fernando to beat the Ferraris into Q3,” the Aston Martin boss added. “They drove extremely well on an ever-changing track. The AMR24 is undoubtedly best suited to this circuit and we’ll be working through the night to give them the best possible view for tomorrow’s race, and to give the home crowd something to cheer on.”