Dutch driver Max Verstappen achieved his fourth consecutive win and sixth this season by triumphing in the Canadian Grand Prix, solidifying his lead in the Formula 1 World Championship and securing his team Red Bull's 100th victory in history this Sunday. Verstappen's win brings his career total to 41 victories, tying him with the late Brazilian three-time world champion Ayrton Senna.
Spanish driver Fernando Alonso from Aston Martin finished in second place at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, marking his sixth podium appearance in eight races this season, followed by British driver Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes. Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz took the fourth and fifth positions, respectively.
Red Bull continued its perfect start by winning all eight races since the beginning of the current season. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner warned other teams about the possibility of his team winning every race this season. Verstappen, who maintained the lead for over 200 consecutive laps, stated, "Achieving the 100th win is incredible; I didn't expect to achieve such milestones, but we continue to enjoy and work hard. Today was a great day."
However, it wasn't a perfect race for Red Bull with continued disappointing results for Mexican driver Sergio Perez, who failed to reach the podium for the third consecutive time. Perez finished sixth after starting from 12th, earning an additional point for setting the fastest lap of the race. Despite his drop in performance, Perez remains second in the standings but is 69 points behind Verstappen, who has 195 points.
Aston Martin could not meet the request of owner Lawrence Stroll for both team drivers to podium in his home country. Lance Stroll, the son of the Canadian billionaire, finished in ninth place. Alonso commented, "We hoped to compete more with Red Bull. We fought with Mercedes and pushed throughout the race; there was no lap for relaxing; it was a tough and demanding race, with 70 laps feeling more like qualifying."
Mercedes proved to be heading in the right direction with Hamilton making his way onto the podium for the second consecutive time. For the second year in a row, Verstappen won in Montreal after starting from pole position, facing no threats and crossing the finish line 9.5 seconds ahead of Alonso. Alexander Albon earned the award for the best driver of the race after finishing seventh, delivering an impressive defensive performance for Williams despite tire degradation, garnering six points for his team.
