Five Formula 1 Winners & Losers: Canadian Grand Prix

Photo by XPBImages

An excellent track, ruined by the dirty air of this era of regulations.

It wasn’t the most exciting race in the world, and then it got pretty crazy.

Losers

5. Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton loves this race track, and that showed as he qualified 5th on the grid for a very good result.

Unfortunately, it was all for naught, as his car experienced early damage due to an unfortunate incident involving a groundhog. That incident cost Hamilton lots of time throughout the race, and even though he came home 6th, the opportunity was there for a better result.

4. Yuki Tsunoda

On Saturday morning, Yuki Tsunoda slowed all the way down for a red flag on the race track. He followed the procedures perfectly.

Well, almost.

He did overtake Oscar Piastri, who was limping to the pit lane with a punctured tire.

That gave him a 10 place grid penalty, which is extremely harsh in my opinion, and essentially cost the Red Bull driver any chance at points on Sunday.

I know rules are rules, and red flag rules are particularly strict, but that seemed awfully unfair.

3. Alex Albon

Albon had some incredible practice sessions, a good qualifying session, and it looked like he was going to get Williams a good chunk of points.

But an engine failure meant he came away with nothing at all.

That’s how it goes, sometimes.

2. Lance Stroll

Lance Stroll is Canadian and absolutely loves driving in front of his hometown crowd.

But he was nowhere near his teammate Fernando Alonso all weekend long.

And while I’m not expecting him to be at the level of Alonso, he has to be better than he has been.

If Lawrence Stroll is actually serious about competing with Aston Martin for constructors championships, his son has to be on the hot seat.

1. Lando Norris

Norris has to be better.

The pace is there. The race craft is there. I’ve seen it.

I saw it on lap 66 when he had an incredible overtake on his teammate Oscar Piastri at the hairpin.

I saw it again when he braked early to get better traction on Piastri after the chicane.

And then I watched as he drove directly into the back of his teammate, which caused him to crash out of the race and lose 12 points on his rival in the championship.

That doesn’t even mention a very, very poor Saturday qualifying session.

The talent is undeniable.

But he has yet to show he can put it all together under pressure.

It might be his downfall.

Winners

5. Oscar Piastri

On the other side of the McLaren garage, it was a terrible weekend for Piastri before Saturday.

He had no pace in practice. He crashed the car.

Despite all of that, he qualified 3rd and kept his teammate behind despite Norris being faster.

The end result is an extension of his championship lead, despite it being a weekend where he was not at his best.

That’s what champions can do.

4. Carlos Sainz

Sainz said himself on social media that his weekend was ruined due to being impeded during qualifying, forcing him to start 16th.

Turns out, he was wrong, as he drove all the way into the top 10.

I’m sure he wanted more considering Williams pace this weekend, but hey.

It’s something.

3. George Russell

Russell has been consistent all year long, which means he’s maintained his ground in the championship fight.

Now, after a win at Canada, it may show a sign of improvement for Mercedes that can get Russell squarely into the fight to be world champion.

He’s far behind Piastri, but nothing is impossible with his consistency.

2. Nico Hulkenberg

Nico Hulkenberg has 20 points this season.

He remains ahead of Sainz, Gasly, and Tsnuoda.

In a car that I thought genuinely might not a single point this year.

I said it after Spain, and I’ll say it again.

If Audi hits the ground running next season, Hulk might find himself getting that elusive podium.

1. Kimi Antonelli

Antonelli started 4th at a track he has never raced on in his life, overtook Piastri and the McLaren in the first corners, and then kept both McLaren’s behind him for the rest of the race to secure his first ever podium at the age of 18.

He didn’t make a mistake all weekend long.

The kid is an absolute star.

There’s no way around it.