Leclerc’s Canadian Woes: From Monaco Jubilation to Montreal Misfortune

Tough day at the Office for Charles after his fantastic win in the Principality. The Monaco Grand Prix, “ the jewel in the crown” alone is not enough to upend Verstappen in the World Championship.

When you are Charles Leclerc, second in the world championship is not good enough. A win in Canada would have Verstappen looking over his shoulder for the Monegasque.

Instead a win for Verstappen and a DNF for Charles gives the Dutchman a breather at the top of the driver standings. Norris’ second place opens the door for the McLaren ace to breathe over Charles shoulder being only 7 points behind second placed Charles.

Compare the driver standings had the positions been reversed with a Verstappen DNF and Charles winning. With 25 points for a win that makes a difference of 50 points that would have put Charles just 6 points away from leading the world champion. Instead we have Norris in McLaren just 7 points away from Charles.

The Workd Championship Top 3 Table now, after this disastrous weekend for Ferrari in Canada, looks like this:

1: Max Verstappen, Red Bull 194
2: Charles Leclerc, Ferrari 138
3: Lando Norris, McLaren 131

What a difference a race makes!

What Happened to Ferrari?

It was a turn of events far removed from their Monaco triumph.
Ferrari endured a nightmare at the Canadian Grand Prix with both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz failing to finish the race. This disastrous outcome came just two weeks after Ferrari’s impressive victory and double podium in Monaco.

Starting from 11th and 12th on the grid after a tough qualifying session, Leclerc and Sainz struggled to climb up the ranks. Leclerc’s race took a particularly bad turn when his SF-24 began to experience engine problems. Ferrari took a gamble by switching to slick tires on Lap 29. The gamble didn’t pay off in the wet/dry conditions, and Leclerc was forced to retire on Lap 43.

Reflecting on the race, a dejected Leclerc highlighted that the engine issue cost Ferrari everything. Leclerc elaborated on the difficulties as managing all the engine issues lost him much time on the straights. The engine issue will need solving because it could pose problems for the Ferrari aces for the rest of the season.

Despite the frustration, Leclerc urged caution against overreacting to one poor weekend. You have good weekends and bad weekends. Ferrari missed qualifying in Q3 by just three hundredths.

Carlos Sainz’s race was no better, ending in disaster after a spin at Turn 7 which also took out Alex Albon’s Williams.

Ferrari struggled with pace and balance all weekend. Sainz believes this was a one-off and expects Ferrari to return to form at the Spanish Grand Prix. Both drivers remain hopeful that Ferrari will bounce back in the next race in Barcelona.

Verstappen Triumphs in Thrilling Canadian Grand Prix Climax

While Ferrari were suffering, elsewhere in a dramatic and unpredictable Canadian Grand Prix, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen clinched victory. In a race that transitioned from wet to dry, an intense five-car battle for the lead took place during the final 10 laps.

The race had restarted with 11 laps remaining and Verstappen expertly pulled away from the pack, leaving McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to duel with Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton. Verstappen quickly extended his lead to nearly two seconds within a single lap, maintaining control until the checkered flag.

Norris, who had led the race twice due to the changing weather conditions, lost his lead both times by pitting later than Verstappen. Despite his early dominance, Norris couldn’t catch up to Verstappen in the closing stages and finished in second place.

George Russell, who had started from pole position for the first time in nearly two years, initially led the race. However, as the race progressed and various incidents unfolded, Russell found himself battling his teammate Hamilton. With three laps remaining, Russell overtook Hamilton to secure the final spot on the podium.

Ultimately, Verstappen’s skillful management of the race’s chaotic conditions ensured his victory, while Norris and Russell completed the podium, each reflecting on what might have been on a day of high drama in Montreal.