Max Verstappen claims Canadian GP victory ‘evened his score’ with Safety Car timing after Miami GP defeat

The Canadian GP was Max Verstappen's sixth win of the 2024 F1 season.

Max Verstappen claims Canadian GP victory ‘evened his score’ with Safety Car timing after Miami GP defeat

Max Verstappen (via IMAGO)

Whether it be securing a drive for another season in the epitome of racing or fighting for the win in races, luck has its role in the F1 sphere. This stroke of fortune was witnessed in Miami when the safety car was called out for an incident on the track, providing Lando Norris the opportunity to take his maiden win while snatching the victory from the grasps of Red Bull and Max Verstappen. However, after the win in Canada, the Dutchman is adamant that the wounds caused by the loss in Miami are now cured.

The weekend in Canada was an exciting one. Mercedes and George Russell claimed pole in a shocking turn of events while setting an identical time as Max Verstappen. On the other hand, the reigning champion started from P2 on the grid. However, as the race transcended, the Dutchman fell into the clutches of his pal Lando Norris, who overtook him and subsequently led the race for quite some time.

https://youtu.be/jL3HmeOmtb8?si=mmX6xMS6ZTX_rvIJ

Fortune was not on the Brit’s side this time as a safety car was called out that eroded his lead.

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Sometimes it works for you and sometimes doesn't. So this time it was working for us, so I guess in that sense, it's 1-1 now this year. But that's racing, it's a part of it as well.
Max Verstappen said in an interview with F1TV

Subsequently, when Norris came out of the pits, he emerged P3 on the road and saw Verstappen leading the race. The change of the lead car was then retained till the end of the race. This instigated the Red Bull driver to admit that F1 is a gamble and sometimes things work in your favor and sometimes they don’t. He further referenced his loss in Miami and claimed the score to be even now in a joking manner.

Max Verstappen reflects on Sergio Perez’s streak of subpar performances

While Verstappen won the race, things were not at all glaring on the other side of the garage. Sergio Perez was out in Q1 on Saturday for the second time in a row. Moreover, the Mexican was supposedly going to be the best bet for Red Bull going forward as he signed a two-year extension with the Austrian giant, but the results spoke otherwise.

Red Bull's Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen
Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen (via IMAGO)

The Dutchman gave his honest verdict on Perez’s performance at the Candian GP.

I think the damage was done yesterday, of course, for Checo[Sergio Perez]. Starting in the back, it’s very hard in these conditions. Then, of course, I saw him retire with the damage. So I knew that I had to score big, of course, to not let the other teams catch up a lot. But I do think at the end of the day, as long as you keep winning, so you score 25 points, even if the others finish P2, P3, you don’t really lose out too much.
Max Verstappen said as quoted by PlanetF1

Verstappen consoled his teammate by claiming the damage was already done during qualifying. This bad luck made its way into the race when he collided with Pierre Gasly at the start. To further rub in his wounds, the 34-year-old later spun in the race and totaled his RB20, ending his race earlier than expected.

Despite stating that Perez’s weekend was headed toward a loss, the Dutchman admitted that having two cars at the sharp end would be great for the Milton Keynes-based outfit. Thus, pressure is piling on the Mexican driver as Ferrari and McLaren are close behind Red Bull in the interim standings.

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