Max Verstappen cruises to Canadian GP win to match Ayrton Senna

By Tom Cary, Senior Sports Correspondent, in Montreal

Not to say this Canadian Grand Prix was easy for Max Verstappen, but he hit a bird early in proceedings which lodged in his brake duct and still won by 10 seconds.

Verstappen’s 41st Formula One race win – and Red Bull’s landmark 100th – was not one which will live long in the memory. He was in absolute cruise control throughout. When he hit a kerb with five laps remaining of the race, and jokingly told his team over the radio that he had “nearly knocked himself out”, it was tempting to wonder whether he had dozed off at the wheel.

But it was significant, lifting Verstappen into exalted company after he levelled Ayrton Senna’s total. Only Lewis Hamilton (103), Michael Schumacher (91), Sebastian Vettel (53), and Alain Prost (51) are now ahead of the 25 year-old in the all-time standings. At this rate Verstappen will fancy his chances of catching the last two by the end of this year.

But it is not all doom and gloom for neutrals. As much as Red Bull continue to reign supreme, the weekend did offer a few, admittedly small, crumbs of encouragement.

Verstappen has been winning most of his races this season by 25 to 30 seconds. At least here Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso was less than 10 seconds behind, with Mercedes’ Hamilton was less than five seconds behind the Spaniard. Those two teams are making steps in the right direction.

Yes Verstappen had half a bird stuck in his car for most of the race (Red Bull team principal Christian Horner described the feathered creature as “black” and medium-sized, but suggested it didn’t make too much of a difference to his lap times). Yes he could undoubtedly have pushed harder. But he could have pushed harder at every other race this year too.

For now, we can only dream of the day when Alonso and Hamilton are genuinely scrapping with Verstappen on track. But at least they are fighting each other again, as they were 16 years ago.

Their battle was the highlight of this race. Hamilton, starting third but more importantly on the clean side of the grid following Nico Hulkenberg’s overnight grid penalty for a red flag infringement in qualifying, got off to a flyer, surging past a sluggish Alonso into Turn 1. His Mercedes teammate George Russell almost followed suit, going wheel-to-wheel with the Spaniard around the outside of Turn 2. But it was actually the Aston Martin which had the better pace in the first half of the race.

After Russell lost control and smashed into a wall on lap 12, bringing out the safety car, Alonso nearly regained position in the pits, nearly hitting Hamilton’s Mercedes as it was released into his path and complaining over the team radio.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, watching from the garage, looked decidedly unimpressed, mimicking the Spaniard’s hand movements and basically implying he made a meal of the incident. The stewards agreed, deciding not to impose a penalty. Alonso could not be held back forever, though, flying up the inside of Hamilton into the final chicane on lap 22. That was basically how things stayed until the finish, although Alonso did have to nurse a rear brake issue which allowed Hamilton to close up behind him in the latter part of the race.

Both were upbeat at the finish, Alonso saying he was encouraged to finish just 9.5sec behind Verstappen despite a technical issue and Hamilton describing it as “a great weekend.”

“We struggle a bit in the low-speed corners so that’s where I was losing out to Max and Fernando,” he said. “But I think we were closer today, so we are heading in the right direction.”

Behind the front three there was plenty of action. Alex Albon had a brilliant race in the Williams, finishing a highly creditable seventh. McLaren’s Lando Norris was ninth over the line, narrowly failing to pass the Alpine of Esteban Ocon at the final chicane, but dropped to 13th due to a five-second penalty for “unsportsmanlike conduct” (driving too slowly behind the safety car to avoid being “double-stacked” at the pitstop, apparently). Russell, meanwhile, battled gamely back into the top 10 only to have to retire due to excessive brake wear. After his mistake in Monaco, where he cost himself a podium with an error under braking, he will be furious with himself for his crash here.

The weekend, though, belonged to Red Bull, whose 100th win came just 14 years after their first in China in 2009. And to Verstappen, who stretched his lead at the top of the standings to 69 points over teammate Sergio Perez (who underwhelmed again, finishing sixth). That’s the equivalent of almost three race wins. You can stick a fork in this championship. The only question is how many more Verstappen will claim this year.

Not that the man himself was getting carried away. Asked about drawing level with Formula One royalty in Senna, Verstappen did his best. “I hate to compare generations but from my side, when I was a little kid driving in go-karts I was dreaming about being a F1 driver,” he said. “I would never have imagined I would win 41 grands prix. To tie with Ayrton is incredible. I am proud of that but I hope it doesn’t stop here. I hope we keep on winning more races. We’ve won 100. Now the target is 200.”

Horner was unsurprised when told about his driver’s comments. “Max just keeps delivering at such a high level,” he said. “The race he did today was fantastic but for me yesterday [qualifying] was outstanding in conditions that were continually changing. His ability to adapt to whatever grip level he had, was Max at his best.

“I think the biggest moment he had [today] was hitting a bird, which spent half the race behind the front right brake duct.”

Canadian Grand Prix, as it happened

09:15 PM BST

The next race is the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring

That takes place in just under two weeks’ time from Friday June 30 until Sunday July 1.

08:53 PM BST

There's a lovely bit of chat in the cool-down room between Hamilton, Verstappen and Alonso

And the TV director, for some reason, cuts to a shot of the fans on the track. Of course.

Hamilton said after the race he was fairly pleased but that the Aston Martin upgrades seemed to work well. He said the rear end of the Red Bull is “awesome”.

Fairly notable, though, that unlike earlier in the season, Perez’s charge was not an easy one to second. The gap is closing, I think. It was enormous, though.

08:50 PM BST

Updated constructor standings

08:50 PM BST

Updated driver standings - Top 10

Verstappen extends his lead over Sergio Perez to 69 points...

Perez now only nine points ahead of Fernando Alonso.

08:45 PM BST

A superb drive from Alexander Albon

Seventh is Williams’ best finish since the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix. Albon is also voted driver of the day.

I am, though, struggling to remember the last time Max Verstappen was not leading a grand prix. Such a low-key win, this one.

08:43 PM BST

Stroll actually got Bottas for ninth at the end

He did still finish 54 seconds down from his team-mate in second, though.

08:42 PM BST

Canadian Grand Prix - Classification

1. VER - 25pts

2. ALO - 18pts

3. HAM - 15pts

4. LEC - 12pts

5. SAI - 10pts

6. PER - 9pts

7. ALB - 6pts

8. OCO - 4pts

9. STR - 2pts

10. BOT- 1pt

11. PIA

12. GAS

13. NOR

14. TSU

15. HUL

16. ZHO

17. MAG

18. DEV

DNF: RUS, SAR

08:40 PM BST

Verstappen speaks on the radio

“Yeah, not bad that. Also 100 wins for the team so that’s a great result. Maybe not our strongest lap with the conditions... but it’s all good.”

Perez does get the fastest lap bonus point and finishes in sixth.

08:39 PM BST

MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS THE 2023 CANADIAN GRAND PRIX

100 wins for Red Bull in F1. 41 wins for Verstappen, equalling Aytron Senna.

Alonso in second, Hamilton in third with the two Ferraris behing them.

Norris getting fighty with Ocon into the final chicane and I am not sure why. It’s all a bit futile given his penalty. It doesn’t work in any case.

08:38 PM BST

FINAL LAP

A procession, really. He will win by about 10 seconds but it was so much more comfortable than that.

Norris, meanwhile, has not built the buffer he needs and will likely finish 13th once his penalty is applied meaning Stroll will take the final point.

08:37 PM BST

Lap 69 of 70 - Verstappen leads Alonso by 9.8s

Perez pits from sixth, presumably to switch to fresh tyres and take the fastest lap point. He has a very big gap to Albon behind so he won’t lose any places and points so he may as well.

Albon still holding seventh very bravely. Excellent work.

08:35 PM BST

Lap 68 of 70 - An OK afternoon for Ferrari

Fought back to a comfortable but unfussy and uninspiring fourth and fifth. Would be one of their better weekend points hauls, I think.

08:34 PM BST

Lap 67 of 70 - Verstappen leads Alonso by 8.4s

Norris says the rear wing is loose on the Alpine of Ocon. “It’s going to fall off,” he says. It is wobbling an awful lot, especially after the kerbs. “If this falls off and hits someone it’s going to be extremely bad,” he adds.

08:33 PM BST

Lap 66 of 70 - Full order

1. VER

2. ALO

3. HAM

4. LEC

5. SAI

6. PER

7. ALB

8. OCO

9. NOR

10. BOT

11. STR

12. PIA

13. GAS

14. TSU

15. HUL

16. ZHO

17. MAG

18. DEV

OUT: RUS, SAR

08:32 PM BST

Lap 65 of 70 - Still no way through for Ocon on Albon

Alonso has extended his advantage over Hamilton to nearly three seconds, so I wonder if that particular race is run.

Verstappen gets a bit lairy over the kerbs at turn eight and nine. “I nearly knocked myself out on that kerb, haha,” he says on the radio. He’s still awake, then.

08:31 PM BST

Lap 64 of 70 - Norris into ninth with a move on Bottas at the hairpin

He would drop back to 13th currently, though, after his penalty is applied... so he needs to get on with it.

08:30 PM BST

Lap 63 of 70 - We haven't seen much of Verstappen this race

He leads by nearly eight seconds but it has been a case of tyre, brake and pace management from about lap four.

08:28 PM BST

Lap 62 of 70 - Alonso on the radio

He’s told that Hamilton is 1.9s behind. “Copy. Leave it to me,” he replies. He does his personal best lap of the race to extend his gap to Hamilton to 2.1s by the end of the lap.

08:27 PM BST

Lap 61 of 70 - Albon holding strong in seventh

But boy is he under pressure from Ocon, whose tyres a 24 laps fresher.

08:26 PM BST

Lap 60 of 70 - Top 10 and gaps

1. VER

2. ALO +8.2

3. HAM +9.7

4. LEC +15.3

5. SAI +18.4

6. PER +27.8

7. ALB +49.7

8. OCO +50.4

9. BOT +50.7

10. NOR +51.1

Norris does have a five-second penalty, though, which would drop him down to 12th at the moment.

08:24 PM BST

Lap 59 of 70 - Verstappen leads Alonso by 7.9s

Alonso’s pace has picked up a bit in the last few laps but will it be too much and will he be defenceless against a charging Hamilton?

08:23 PM BST

Lap 58 of 70 - Alonso being told to lift and coast still

He is in clear air so maybe it is a fuel issue... The gap now under 1.5s from Alonso in second to Hamilton in third. Verstappen, meanwhile, is 7.7s up the road from the Aston Martin.

08:22 PM BST

Lap 57 of 70 - Will Alonso respond?

He had been told to lift and coast. Probably more likely a brake issue than a fuel one. This track is very hard on brakes. I don’t think Hamilton will take any prisoners. Stroll, meanwhile in the other Aston Martin, is 1.1s off Norris in 10th and with decent-ish pace.

08:20 PM BST

Lap 56 of 70 - Hamilton has cut Alonso's advantage to under two seconds

Interesting...

08:20 PM BST

Lap 55 of 70 - Full order

1. VER

2. ALO

3. HAM

4. LEC

5. SAI

6. PER

7. ALB

8. OCO

9. BOT

10. NOR

11. STR

12. PIA

13. FAS

14. TSU

15. HUL

16. ZHO

17. MAG

18. DEV

OUT: RUS, SAR

08:18 PM BST

Lap 54 of 70 - Verstappen leads Alonso by 6.9s

I don’t think it was ever not the case, but we will need a reliability issue or a big mistake from Verstappen for him not to win the race.

Meanwhile Russell is told to box the car and retire due to excessive brake wear. Shame, he fought back well. Don’t put it into the wall in the first place, though. He apologises on the radio. It’s an issue that is likely caused by his crash and then made worse by being stuck in dirty air for many laps.

08:16 PM BST

Lap 53 of 70 - It's the top six and then everyone else

Well, the top three, then the next three, and then the next six. Could be tasty in the battle for seventh at the end of the race.

08:15 PM BST

Lap 52 of 70 - Verstappen leads Alonso by 6.3s

Verstappen has just dipped into the 1:15s, Alonso and Hamilton in the low 1:16s. Really solid driving from the top three today. Albon also doing a very fine job but there is the start of a DRS train behind him. So a point is far from guaranteed.

08:14 PM BST

Lap 51 of 70 - McLaren watch

Norris in 11th, 0.5s off Bottas ahead. Piastri in 13th, 4.1s off Stroll ahead.

08:12 PM BST

Lap 50 of 70 - Top 10 and gaps

1. VER

2. ALO +5.8

3. HAM +9.1

4. LEC +12.7

5. SAI +15.1

6. PER +19.2

7. ALB +34.0

8. RUS +35.0

9. OCO +36.3

10. BOT +37.7

08:12 PM BST

Lap 49 of 70 - The gap from the Red Bull to the rest of the pack behind appears to have closed this weekend

I do suspect that Verstappen is driving very much within himself at the moment. And probably has been all day.

08:10 PM BST

Lap 48 of 70 - Alonso ran wide at the turn nine chicane

Which is why he lost that time to Hamilton. 3.4s the gap between the man in second and third now. Verstappen leads Alonso by 5.5s. He’s back on the pace the very next lap, though. “I want to win the race, mate,” he says in response to being told to lift and coast.

08:09 PM BST

Lap 47 of 70 - Mistake from Alonso?

He loses 1.5s to Hamilton in the middle sector. He has been told to lift and coast to save fuel.

08:08 PM BST

Lap 46 of 70 - Hammer time?

Hamilton sets another fastest lap, but it’s only 0.012s faster than Alonso. Hamilton went onto the medium tyre and Alonso went onto the hard tyres at their respective stops.

08:07 PM BST

Lap 45 of 70 - Hamilton with the new fastest lap

That brings him to within five seconds of Alonso, who is 4.5s from Verstappen. Alonso is probably one medium-sized error by Verstappen from taking the lead. Can’t see it happening, mind you.

Verstappen’s race engineer has reminded him that there is a “race on behind him”. “People are pushing a lot more than you.” A bit of a Sunday afternoon drive for the Dutchman.

08:05 PM BST

Lap 44 of 70 - The Aston Martin upgrades seem to be working

Decent from Mercedes, too. The second Aston Martin of Lance Stroll is down in 12th, however...

08:04 PM BST

Lap 43 of 70 - Not the fastest stop for Verstappen

But it doesn’t really need to be. He comes out from the pit lane in the lead and 4.6s ahead of Alonso. So a net gain for Aston Martin. I don’t think they are really in the fight for the victory here, but since the SC came in he’s only lost 4.5s in 26 or so laps, so about 0.17sec per lap. Hmmm.

08:02 PM BST

Lap 42 of 70 - Alonso and his team react to Hamilton's stop...

...and come in themselves. Decent stop and he should get out ahead of Hamilton. Indeed he does. The gap now around 5.6 seconds between Alonso in second and Hamilton behind. That actually worked out quite well for Alonso, marginally extending his lead.

Verstappen’s turn to stop.

08:00 PM BST

Lap 41 of 70 - Hamilton coming in

It’s a 2.7sec stop for Hamilton, who goes onto the mediums. What will Alonso and Verstappen do? Alonso has kept the gap to Verstappen at around five seconds for the last eight or nine laps or so.

07:59 PM BST

Lap 40 of 70 - Top 10 and gaps

1. VER

2. ALO +5.0

3. HAM +9.7

4. LEC +12.7

5. SAI +34.3

6. PER +39.6

7. ALB +39.7

8. RUS +42.6

9. OCO +46.8

10. BOT +49.8

07:58 PM BST

Lap 39 of 70 - Norris gets a five-second penalty for unsportsmanlike behaviour

I think that was due to him backing the pack up so that McLaren could double stack under the Safety Car. Still unsure as to how Hamilton escaped a penalty for that earlier incident with Alonso. Sainz stops for the first time, too. He comes out in fifth, ahead of Albon and Perez.

07:56 PM BST

Lap 38 of 70 - Perez pits for the first time

Both Ferraris also need to stop. Perez comes out in sevemth, with George Russell a few seconds back.

07:55 PM BST

Lap 37 of 70 - Russell now somehow in 11th...

After that crash. It has been a little chaotic behind him as a few drivers come into the pit lane.

07:55 PM BST

Lap 36 of 70 - De Vries and Magnussen have a right ding-dong at the start of the lap

They both go straight on into the run-off at turn three and have to wait for an age before reversing back onto the track. They both touched at turns one and two and then De Vries on the inside, locked up and Magnussen had to follow him along the escape road. They are now down in 18th and 19th...

07:53 PM BST

Lap 35 of 70 - Full order

1. VER

2. ALO

3. HAM

4. LEC

5. SAI

6. PER

7. OCO

8. BOT

9. NOR

10. PIA

11. ALB

12. MAG

13. DEV

14. RUS

15. TSU

16. STR

17. HUL

18. GAS

19. ZHO

OUT: SAR

07:52 PM BST

Lap 34 of 70 - Alonso back in the 1:16s

Up and down lap times but overall he is losing out to Verstappen. He’s only racing for second, really, as well as he is driving.

07:50 PM BST

Lap 33 of 70 - Verstappen leads Alonso by 5.3s now

Easy peasy.

07:50 PM BST

Lap 32 of 70 - Verstappen doing a bit of a Hamilton on the radio

“I’m just losing grip with this tyre now,” he says.

“Yeah OK Max, I think we’ve got the message, thank you. Just head down,” is the reply.

07:49 PM BST

Lap 31 of 70 - Alonso dropping back from Verstappen

Hamilton dropping back from Alonso... Ferrari and Perez are going to have their work cut out here, I think. They are strategically compromised. It might come to them at the end but I am not sure about that. Nico Hulkenberg stops for a second time. Not a great race for the man who had such a great Saturday.

07:46 PM BST

Lap 30 of 70 - Top 10 and gaps

1. VER

2. ALO +4.1

3. HAM +6.6

4. LEC +9.4

5. SAI +11.5

6. PER +15.1

7. OCO +21.5

8. BOT +23.8

9. NOR +24.8

10. PIA +27.9

07:45 PM BST

Lap 29 of 70 - Alonso holds the fastest lap of the race

Verstappen being kept honest by the Spaniard. Well, to some degree. He has pace to burn, surely.

Yellow flags for some reason, but they do not last long.

07:44 PM BST

Lap 28 of 70 - Stroll stops again

He will come out in dead last. Not a great weekend for the only Canadian on the grid. Not a great season, really, given what his team-mate is doing.

07:43 PM BST

Lap 27 of 70 - Verstappen leads Alonso by 3.6s

Hamilton trails Alonso by 1.7s, so the Aston Martin is finding a bit of space here.

07:42 PM BST

Lap 26 of 70 - Russell still in last on the road

He is within DRS range of Gasly but his pace overall is not great. Everyone but the Ferraris now on the hard tyre and everyone, apart from Perez, the two Ferraris, Bottas and Magnussen can go to the end without stopping if they so wish, having used two different tyre compounds.

07:40 PM BST

Lap 25 of 70 - Verstappen extends his lead

I can probably just copy and paste that post title for the next 30 laps I reckon. It’s now 3.3sec.

07:38 PM BST

Lap 24 of 70 - No further action on Hamilton for unsafe release

That’s pretty strange. Looked a clear penalty for me. Anyway, he has now dropped back from Fernando Alonso by 1.1s and Alonso is himself three seconds behind Verstappen out front.

07:38 PM BST

Lap 23 of 70 - Albon fails in his move to get Magnussen

He runs over the run-off of the final corner and loses his 11th place to Piastri.

07:37 PM BST

Lap 22 of 70 - Alonso closer to Hamilton then ever before

The gap under 0.6s now. He gets DRS into the final chicane and puts it up the inside and takes second place!

Hamilton keeps close on his rear wing heading into the next lap...

07:36 PM BST

Lap 21 of 70 - Verstappen leads Hamilton by 1.2s

Albon now hustling behind Magnussen for 10th. Magnussen lost two places in the last lap or so, one of which he gave back due to that earlier pit lane infringement when he got ahead of Ocon.

07:34 PM BST

Lap 20 of 70 - Top 10 and gaps

1. VER

2. HAM +1.9

3. ALO +2.5

4. LEC +4.1

5. SAI +4.6

6. PER +7.4

7. OCO +11.0

8. BOT +12.2

9. MAG +12.5

10. NOR +12.6

07:33 PM BST

Lap 19 of 70 - DRS enabled again

Alonso within DRS range of Hamilton ahead, and sets the fastest first sector of the race. Verstappen currently the fastest man on track, surprise, surprise.

07:31 PM BST

Lap 18 of 70 - Verstappen leads Hamilton by 1.4s

Piastri cannot make that move stick. Norris got his team-mate on the previous lap at the hairpin. Piastri left a big, big gap and Norris went for it. Fair enough.

07:30 PM BST

Lap 17 of 70 - Race restarts

And there’s no change t the front, or anywhere else, really. Verstappen edges out a 1.2s lead by the end of the lap...

Norris and Piastri duel on the back straight in the battle for 10th, Norris the lead driver but Piastri tries to come back on the start of the next lap!

07:28 PM BST

Lap 16 of 70 - Safety Car in this lap

Good. Neither Ferrari stopped, despite being on the mediums. Ocon, Bottas and Magnussen noted by the stewards for overtaking under the Safety Car.

07:27 PM BST

Lap 15 of 70 - Hamilton is told he has some damage

From the debris of Russell’s crash.

07:24 PM BST

Lap 14 of 70 - Hamilton noted for an unsafe release

So here’s the full order under the SC:

1. VER

2. HAM

3. ALO

4. LEC*

5. SAI*

6. PER*

7. MAG*

8. BOT*

9. OCO

10. PIA

11. NOR

12. ALB

13. TSU

14. ZHO

15. HUL

16. STR

17. DEV

18. GAS

19. RUS

OUT: SAR

*Denotes drivers who are yet to stop

Russell says his car is a bit bent but okay.

07:22 PM BST

Lap 13 of 70 - SC after Russell hits the wall

Hamilton is released from his pit box and comes very, very close to colliding with Alonso. I think that will be deemed an unsafe release from Mercedes and a potential time penalty. Alonso had to brake in the pit lane for that one.

Replays show it was a fairly big hit for Russell. He does make it back to the pit lane and they change the rear right and attempt to change the front wing, but I think this will be it for Russell...

Nope. Out he comes, but there must be some substantial damage that will affect the performance of his motor.

07:19 PM BST

Lap 12 of 70 - Verstappen on the radio

“I think I hit a bird!” he says on the radio. Not what you want. Not what the bird wants, either, in fairness. Hulkenberg dives into the pits from seventh.

What’s this? Russell in the wall! A lot of debris. His rear right is destroyed and I would be very surprised if he could get back to the pit lane and even more surprised if he could carry on if he does.

It’s a Safety Car... Verstappen pits. 

07:18 PM BST

Lap 11 of 70 - Russell gets in on the fight for second and third

He is within DRS range of Alonso now. Gasly pits and changes from his soft tyres, presumably to the hard tyres. Yes, indeed.

07:17 PM BST

Lap 10 of 70 - Top 10 and gaps

1. VER

2. HAM +3.3

3. ALO +4.3

4. RUS +5.1

5. OCO +10.1

6. PIA +13.6

7. HUL +15.8

8. NOR +16.7

9. LEC +17.1

10. ALB +17.7

07:15 PM BST

Lap 9 of 70 - The VSC period ends

Alonso is so close to Hamilton heading into the final chicane, though he still cannot find a way through. Verstappen’s lead has extended to three seconds.

07:14 PM BST

Lap 8 of 70 - Yellow flags still in play...

Norris right behind Hulkenberg for seventh, with Piastri now in sixth ahead of the lead Haas. The VSC is deployed and Sargeant’s car is being recovered. Should be racing again soon.

07:13 PM BST

Lap 7 of 70 - The Aston Martin has struggled in a straight line so far in 2023

But perhaps their update package has changed that a little. Yellow flags for some reason... Sargeant has stopped on track somewhere, at turn six. He has been told to stop the car after a “critical message”, so it doesn’t seem he’s put it in the wall.

07:12 PM BST

Lap 6 of 70 - Tsunoda appears to have pitted and put the hard tyres on

Verstappen’s lead is now over two seconds. Alonso very close to Hamilton again...

07:10 PM BST

Lap 5 of 70 - Verstappen extends his lead slightly

1.7s or so as they cross the line at the end of this lap. Russell 1.7s behind Alonso, who is harrying Hamilton as they approach the final chicane.

07:10 PM BST

Lap 4 of 70 - Alonso hits the wall at turn four

Well, brushes it with his rear-right... he keeps going and has decent pace, staying within one second of Hamilton.

07:08 PM BST

Lap 3 of 70 - Verstappen leads Hamilton by 1.2s

Hamilton keeping in touch. Alonso within a second of him for second.

07:07 PM BST

Lap 2 of 70 - Top 10

1. VER

2. HAM

3. ALO

4. RUS

5. OCO

6. HUL

7. PIA

8. NOR

9. LEC

10. ALB

07:06 PM BST

THE 2023 CANADIAN GRAND PRIX IS GO!

It’s a fine start for Verstappen but also a lightning one for Hamilton who moves straight up into second ahead of Fernando Alonso at the first corner!

Russell holds fourth and Ocon up into fifth ahead of Hulkenberg. Sainz and Perez tussle at the turn eight and nine chicane...

Verstappen leads Hamilton, Alonso, Russell, Ocon and Hulkenberg. Piastri and Norris. Leclerc ninth and Albon 10th.

Perez and Sainz nearly collide at the final chicane and then Magnussen gets into a bit of trouble and touches the wall on the outside, but keeps going... Sainz back ahead of Perez for 11th.

07:03 PM BST

The formation lap is go

And we are nearly ready go get going for the race proper...

07:01 PM BST

Starting tyre types

Everyone in the top 11 on mediums, then Perez, Magnussen and Bottas on the hards. Gasly in 15th is on softs and then everyone behind him on the mediums.

06:54 PM BST

Just under 10 minutes to go

I’ll say it again, it would be an interesting race were Verstappen to retire. But I think we all know what is going to happen...

06:47 PM BST

A reminder about the weather

The sun has come out at the track. Don’t expect any rain.

06:46 PM BST

Perez has really struggled since Miami

He took pole there but Verstappen came through the field to pip him to victory. His qualifying has been a real issue since, though. Here’s his record so far this season:

Bahrain: 2nd
Saudi Arabia: Pole
Australia: 20th
Azerbaijan: 3rd
Azerbaijan Sprint: 2nd
Miami: 1st
Monaco: 20th
Spain: 11th
Canada: 12th

It all adds up to him being seventh in average qualifying position so far in 2023.

06:39 PM BST

They are changing the plank on Leclerc's car

He must have damaged it on the way to the grid.

06:38 PM BST

What strategy might we see today?

Could be a two-stopper, but perhaps a marginal one.

06:36 PM BST

A big stats dump on how each driver fares in qualifying vs his team-mate

And also their average qualifying position so far this year.

06:31 PM BST

How do the teams fare in qualifying so far this season?

Yesterday’s results skew things slightly as Williams were the fastest team, technically.

06:29 PM BST

Around 30 minutes until we get going

So here is the starting grid:

1. VER 2. ALO
3. HAM 4. RUS
5. HUL 6. OCO
7. NOR 8. PIA
9. ALB 10. LEC
11. SAI 12. PER
13. MAG 14. BOT
15. GAS 16. STR
17. DEV 18. SAR
19. TSU 20. ZHO

06:23 PM BST

Current constructor standings

06:20 PM BST

This race will be another good test of Mercedes' new package

Promising results on its first representative running in Spain last time out, but they are starting in fairly decent positions here and should be able to get a read on their progress against Aston Martin and Red Bull. And possibly Ferrari. Ferrari appeared to have a decent car in race conditions, but made a bit of a mess of it in qualifying yesterday.

06:12 PM BST

Current driver standings: Top 10

06:09 PM BST

George Russell speaks to Sky Sports F1

06:00 PM BST

What can Fernando Alonso do from the front row?

He started second, also alongside Verstappen, last year and finished ninth.

05:57 PM BST

And Hulkenberg on that penalty

Yeah. Fair enough. I think he’ll be happy with a couple of points today.

05:52 PM BST

The incident that got Hulkenberg his penalty

05:44 PM BST

Times after qualifying

1. Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1min 25.858secs

2. Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Haas F1 Team 1:27.102

3. Fernando Alonso (Spa) Aston Martin 1:27.286

4. Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:27.627

5. George Russell (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:27.893

6. Esteban Ocon (Fra) Alpine 1:27.945

7. Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren 1:28.046

8. Carlos Sainz Jr. (Spa) Ferrari 1:29.294

9. Oscar Piastri (Aus) McLaren 1:31.349

10. Alexander Albon (Tha) Williams 1:30.284

11. Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari 1:20.615

12. Sergio Perez (Mex) Red Bull 1:20.959

13. Lance Stroll (Can) Aston Martin 1:21.484

14. Kevin Magnussen (Den) Haas F1 Team 1:21.678

15. Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Alfa Romeo Racing 1:21.821

16. Yuki Tsunoda (Jpn) Scuderia AlphaTauri 1:22.746

17. Pierre Gasly (Fra) Alpine 1:22.886

18. Nyck de Vries (Ned) Scuderia AlphaTauri 1:23.137

19. Logan Sargeant (USA) Williams 1:23.337

20. Guanyu Zhou (Chn) Alfa Romeo Racing 1:23.342

04:49 PM BST

Good evening F1 fans

And welcome to our live coverage for the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix from the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. At one point in the not-too-distant past, this track used to produce some of the best races of the year. Is that the case any more? I don’t think it is. Much like the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne this is a street circuit without the streets, though the walls are close in and mistakes can be punished. But, for whatever, reason, the Canadian Grand Prix is not quite what it was.

What are the chances of a decent race today? Well, it is surely another instance where it would be absolutely fascinating if you removed Max Verstappen from the equation. As it is, the most likely eventuality is the Dutchman keeping the lead after starting from pole, extends it to around a pit-stop’s length and then just manages his tyres until the end of the race.

Yesterday’s qualifying session was a good one, though it did result in Verstappen’s fifth pole of the season. Rain fell in varying amounts throughout the session. Some drivers and teams made the right call and got the best out of their cars, whilst others (Charles Leclerc, Sergio Perez in particular) failed to make it into the final part of qualifying and have work to do to finish high up in the points today.

Nico Hulkenberg was arguably the star man, qualifying second behind Verstappen but he, like a few others, take a grid penalty for blocking another car in the session. The other drivers who take penalties are: Carlos Sainz, Yuki Tsunoda and Lance Stroll.

Qualifying was affected by rain yesterday, true, but there is far less chance of precipitation around the track today, unfortunately. Not that it would have made a Verstappen win that much less likely, but there you go. Still, Verstappen might get involved in a scuffle on the opening lap, or might suffer reliability issues. That is probably our only hope.

The race begins at 7pm BST and we will be here for all the build-up, latest updates and reaction from the Canadian Grand Prix. Fingers crossed for something a bit better than we saw in Spain a fortnight ago...