Canada: the highs and lows of the editorial team

The tops

Vettel, despite everything

For once, the top highlight of our review is not the Grand Prix winner. But Sebastian Vettel deserves this top 3, even after his mistake and slide in the fourth corner of lap 48. The German challenged Hamilton for the first time this season. First, by clinching pole position in a dramatic fashion during the last lap of Q3, finding an extra four-tenths to make the difference.

Regarding race management, Vettel approached it in two stages. First, by keeping Hamilton at a safe distance during the first stint on mediums. Then, gradually losing ground on the hards until committing that fatal mistake. We will discuss the consequences of this action later on, but focusing on the German, his post-race reaction is easily explained given the adrenaline accumulated during this Grand Prix.

On the act of swapping the signs at the finish, it’s easy after all to judge while sitting in front of the television as we all do. But while some regret such an act, Hamilton himself stated he would have certainly done the same as Vettel after such a decision. Especially since the German showed no disrespect to anyone, unlike the insults directed at Charlie Whiting during the Mexican Grand Prix in 2016. This Sunday in Montreal, Vettel offered us a great battle with Hamilton, which we can praise through his gesture on the podium. Yes, there were indeed two winners at the end of the seventh race of the season!

Parc Ferme… 🔀#CanadianGP 🇨🇦 #F1 pic.twitter.com/cJOuT5hnwP

— Formula 1 (@F1) June 9, 2019

Renault bounces back!

The performance is quite unexpected. On a high-load circuit, the Renault F1 Team had its best overall weekend of the season! And the biggest satisfaction was particularly on Saturday: with a fourth place, Daniel Ricciardo broke through the glass ceiling of the second row, something that hadn’t been achieved by the French manufacturer since its return to Formula 1 in 2016.

If the Australian lost two positions in the end, the outcome was quite logical. The “badger,” as he is nicknamed, even resisted for about ten laps against Bottas on the second stint, only to finally concede on the 39th lap. You had to rub your eyes to see a Renault hold off a Mercedes in such a firm yet fair defense. This beautiful sixth place, Ricciardo owes it to an exceptionally powerful engine block on the straights. Hülkenberg, meanwhile, maintained his starting position and also finished ahead of Gasly, thanks to a well-executed strategy, with a stop at the 17th lap to switch to hard tires. This double points finish is ideal ahead of the Castellet and the home race. And to think the French team didn’t bring any engine or chassis upgrades to Canada, unlike the French Grand Prix in two weeks! Until then, the Renault F1 Team has revived. After a difficult start to the season, here are the Enstone and Viry clan back in fifth place, two points behind McLaren!

The Strategist Stroll!

47 laps on the hard tires! The performance is noteworthy: just like Max Verstappen, Lance Stroll climbed up the rankings thanks to his tire strategy. It’s even the most impressive comeback of the Grand Prix, moving from 17th place on the grid (11 in a row: his Q1 exit streak continues) to 9th place. The local driver had the good idea to take his hard tires as far as possible. His sole pit stop allowed him to position himself just ahead of Kvyat’s Toro Rosso. Sainz’s drop in performance earned him an extra place, securing a third entry into the points in 2019, after Melbourne and Baku. Meanwhile, his teammate Sergio Pérez finished 12th: Stroll’s performance might silence the critics, at least for a while.

In the same vein, let’s also acknowledge Max Verstappen’s consistency, 49 laps on hard tires, finishing in fifth place after starting from 10th place: but things are going well for Lance Stroll!

🏁 @lance_stroll: I put all my emotions on the table today and loved every minute of it. The team really deserved this: they’ve put in some long hours this week and it’s a boost for us all. I’m going to remember this one for a while.#MakeItCount #F1 #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/IleNctNnFK

— SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team (@RacingPointF1) June 9, 2019

The flops

Race direction (Emanuele Pirro and the two stewards)

The focus of this Canadian Grand Prix is therefore on the five-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a member of the decision-making trio for the race direction, accompanied by two stewards. It was they who made the heavy decision to penalize Vettel by five seconds at the end of this Grand Prix.

In fact, the German driver’s move is indeed borderline, just a hair’s breadth away from causing a collision with Hamilton, his pursuer. But how can one not evaluate such an action given the circumstances: as Vettel says, where on earth could he have gone? After this mistake, was Vettel supposed to park and let Hamilton pass by raising his arm? Impossible: after 17 races, the German finally had an opportunity to lift the winner’s cup. And even without this realization, are we in a Formula 1 race or a gentleman driver’s race? Especially since in the slow-motion, at no point does Vettel steer his wheel to the right: the Ferrari driver is mainly focused on recovering his trajectory as quickly as possible. His loss of grip on the grass is logical, and his return to the track is just as understandable.

So, while this situation may seem unfair to the majority, it is impossible to assign precise responsibility: Emanuele Pirro and the two commissioners each expressed their vote in secret, with the majority making the decision. Nonetheless, it is regrettable that such an experienced driver as the Italian did not tip the balance in favor of the sport. And while the FIA is pondering a new, more attractive regulation for 2021, it should already ensure respect for the drivers and the quality of on-track competition. Motor racing is not merely a literal reading of a sporting regulation.

Pierre Gasly, a shadow that can become troublesome

The Frenchman still hasn’t beaten Verstappen in a race! It’s a shame because the opportunity was there this time with a start in 5th place, while the Dutchman, in 11th, was caught out by Magnussen’s crash in Q2. But Gasly never managed to find an opening against Stroll’s Racing Point, which was in his way after his pit stop. Forced to monitor the temperature of his engine and brakes, Gasly faced a double blow, being beaten by both Renaults at the finish.

Was it perhaps simply necessary to take a little more risk and push beyond, which is easier said than done. But the 2016 GP2 champion won’t be able to hide behind excuses all season: Helmut Marko is not known for his patience… For Gasly, looking forward to home and the Paul-Ricard to shine! #CanadianGP 🇨🇦 | L 25/70 Gasly not keeping up with Stroll 😬 8 STR 9 GAS #F1 pic.twitter.com/nHBiYCVXMj — Sector F1 🚗🇨🇦 (@Sector_F1) June 9, 2019

Kévin Magnussen, a rant that goes wrong

The bad student of the F1 class in Quebec. K-Mag gave us the most incredible radio exchange of the entire weekend by communicating about a disastrous car, transcribed in the tweet below. It must be said that Magnussen finished twelve seconds behind George Russell’s Williams. A Williams…

#CanadianGP 🇨🇦 | L 56/70

To MAG (Steiner): “It’s not a pleasant experience for us either! Enough is enough!”#F1 pic.twitter.com/oQmdWDRXhB

— Secteur F1 🏎️🇫🇷 (@Secteur_F1) June 9, 2019

The problem is that it was indeed him who caused part of the issues by crashing at the exit of the Wall of Champions, at the end of Q2. The Haas was certainly not comfortable on this circuit, still struggling with the tires, but Magnussen lacked tact: his mechanics worked hard to get the car back in shape. It should be noted that the Dane apologized afterward for these somewhat excessive remarks.

Translate: In the flops, we can also mention Valtteri Bottas, who narrowly escapes being in the flop 3. The flamboyant driver from the first five races of the season is becoming less and less recognizable. The Finn ruined his weekend with his spin in Q3 and lost another place at the start to Hülkenberg’s Renault, which he didn’t overtake immediately. Although he eventually made up for it, Bottas couldn’t do better than 4th… Meanwhile, his teammate, the five-time world champion, flies at the top of the drivers’ standings, 31 points ahead!