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The F1x

1. The In Lap

   • Perez out in Q1, both Ferrari’s out in Q2, Ricciardo into Q3

   • Russell and Verstappen equal times but the Merc claims pole

   • Race Recap

2. Overheard in the Paddock

   • Driver/Team talk

   • Fans wrongly told FP1 and FP2 were cancelled due to weather

   • Max’s thoughts on the 2026 regulations

   • Jacques Villeneuve bashes Danny Ric

   • Zak Brown tattoo

   • The groundhogs make an appearance

3. A Quick Look Ahead

   • Spain

   • Checo 3 place grid penalty

The In Lap

Qualifying

Perez was out in Q1 while Yuki set one of the session's fastest times... If these performances keep up, the questions on his two-year contract extension and security within the team will only continue to grow.

Both Ferraris were out in Q2. F1 really is a sport where your last performance is all that matters, and the highs of Monaco are already in the rearview mirror. Ferrari and especially Carlos will be hoping they can turn it around for Spain next time out for his home race.

It was the best showing for Mercedes all year, with Russell claiming pole position. Verstappen recorded the exact same lap time as Russell, but because George set the time first, he claimed the top spot

The Race

Verstappen was back on the top step of the podium, Lando maintains great form with P2, and Russell gets the Mercedes onto the podium for the first time this season.

Changeable conditions, safety cars, and great overtakes made this race the best of the season so far.

Haas gambled by starting on full wet tires for both of their drivers compared to the rest of the grid going on intermediates, and it did work out… for a bit. By lap 3, KMag was up to P4 from P14 and Hulkenberg up to P8 from 17th. While this was great for entertainment, the track continued to dry, and they ended up having to pit for the inters and dropped back down the grid.

Lando was flying and on lap 20 and 21 got past Verstappen and Russell to lead the Canadian GP. McLaren made a bad pit strategy call on lap 25 to wait an extra lap during the safety car from a Logan Sargeant self-induced spin, which resulted in Norris losing out and dropping back to P3.

On lap 30, Alex Albon pulled off one of the best overtakes we have seen in a long time and the best overtake of this season when he overtook both Ricciardo and Ocon in one turn to go from 11th to 9th.

On lap 45, the top 3 runners Ver/Rus/Nor were the last to change from the intermediate tires to the dry. Verstappen and Russell pitted with the McLaren deciding to wait an extra lap again, but this time ended up getting Norris above Russell and into P2, which made up for the late call earlier in the race.

Lap 53: Perez and Sainz both go off the dry line and have self-induced spins, with Sainz spinning into the Williams of Albon. All drivers did have to retire, adding to Perez’s abysmal weekend and Ferrari woes (Charles also retired earlier in the race due to engine issues).

With a tire advantage, Russell kept it clean but took an aggressive move on Lewis in the last moments of the race to claim the P3 spot back from his teammate.

Overheard in the Paddock

• Driver/Team news

  • Yuki signs a 1 year extension with RB. The news broke just before the start of qualifying. Read

  • Williams boss James Vowles had some high praise for Carlos and then doubled down later in the weekend making it clear that Sainz is the teams top pick to replace Sargeant at the end of the season. Read

  • During an interview Toto was asked about the Mercedes seat for next year and let us know they had told Carlos they would not be interested, not that he doesn’t possess the skill but that they want to focus on their top prospect Kimi Antonelli. Does he come into the team next year, or does Ocon sign a one year deal with the silver arrows while Antonelli develops?

• Max was asked his initial thoughts on the 2026 regulations and had a sarcastic answer - “Yeah, maybe we need some bananas, and a red shell”. That was in regards to the override mode being implemented in place of DRS. He also stated he thinks the new regulations will widen the gap between teams, as the longer you keep the regulations the same it gives teams time to close the gap.

• Zak Brown gets a tattoo to commemorate Lando’s first win.

• The weekend had a rough start for a few very unlucky fans. Apparently some miscommunication between event organizers, police, and the metro operators resulted in some fans being told that FP1 and FP2 had been cancelled due to the hail and rain… They weren’t and besides a slight delay the sessions ran as planned.

• Jacques Villeneuve was a guest on Sky Sports F1 this weekend and had some less than flattering things to say about Danny Ric and questioned how he is still in F1. Now you can say he was just being honest in his criticism but that didn’t stop it from being a hot topic of conversation and debate online. Read

The groundhogs made a few appearances over the course of the weekend on various drivers and teams social media, and on the main broadcast.

A Quick Look Ahead

We have a week off until the Spanish GP, which will be running from Jun 21 - Jun 23. Next week you can expect a news wrap up and gain some insights to how the drivers kept busy during the week off!

Checo received a post race 3 place grid penalty for driving in an unsafe condition and will serve this at the Spanish GP.

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