The Canadian Grand Prix, which takes place this weekend on the Gilles Villeneuve circuit in Montreal, presents a challenge for Formula 1 drivers: to stop the advance of Dutchman Max Verstappen, current leader emeritus of the championship.
After his recent victory at the Spanish Grand Prix, Verstappen, 25, has five wins this season and a total of 40 in his Formula 1 career. With 170 points, he leads the championship with a 53 point advantage over his teammate, the Mexican ‘Checo’ Pérez, who won the other two races and was fourth two weeks ago. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso of Spain sits third, 71 points behind the leader, after his outstanding performance at Montmeló, where he finished seventh and scored five podiums in the opening seven races. Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz, a Ferrari driver from Madrid, sits sixth overall with 58 points, following his fifth place in Catalonia.
After the race in Canada, Formula 1 will return to Europe to compete in the Austrian Grand Prix the first weekend of July. It will be the eighth round of 22 in the championship, following the cancellation of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola, Italy, due to flooding. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, named after the eminent driver Jacques Villeneuve and his father, Gilles Villeneuve, who lost his life in an accident during the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder, is known to be one of the most spectacular in the history of Formula 1.
Although he turns 42 next month, Fernando Alonso continues to be the big revelation of this Formula 1 season., to which he returned after his debut 22 years ago. Under the direction of Luxembourg’s Mike Krack, Alonso managed to reach the podium in five of the first seven races.
The talented Asturian rider took third place in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Australia and Miami (USA), and further improved his performance by securing a second place in Monaco. Despite damage to the floor of his car during qualifying at Montmeló, which affected his performance for the rest of the weekend, Alonso managed a seventh place finish in front of his cheering fans, eager for his 33rd victory.
Throughout his career, Fernando has broken precocity records in Formula 1 and is now accumulating longevity records in the category. In 2006, he celebrated one of his 32 F1 victories at the Montreal circuit, the same place where he climbed on the podium in 2010 by obtaining an honorable third place at the wheel of a Ferrari.
Alonso will start second this Sunday, behind Verstappen, a position he obtained thanks to the sanction of the loss of three places for the German Nico Hülkenberg, announced a few hours after the conclusion of the qualification Fernando Alonso has again accepted Verstappen’s invitation; and after taking third place in qualifying for granted, which has become second, he will try to be the protagonist or, if possible, water it down.
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