Canadian GP: Max Verstappen wins again to give Red Bull 100th victory and match Ayrton Senna’s tally

Max Verstappen claims sixth win of 2023 to extend championship lead; Fernando Alonso back on podium after managing brake issue, with Lewis Hamilton coming home third; George Russell hits barriers early on and eventually forced to retire; Alex Albon gives Williams best result since 2021

Max Verstappen delivered Red Bull their 100th win in F1 with another lights-to-flag victory at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Verstappen extended his world championship lead to 69 points as he picked up his sixth win of the season and 41st overall, drawing him level with Ayrton Senna in fifth in the all-time F1 standings.

Fernando Alonso returned to the podium with a second-place finish with Lewis Hamilton completing the top three.

Hamilton had initially got ahead of Alonso at the start off the line, but the Spaniard reclaimed second place after a Safety Car period caused by George Russell hitting the wall.

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Max Verstappen held on to the lead at the start of the Canadian Grand Prix, while Lewis Hamilton overtook Fernando Alonso on the opening lap to climb to second

With Alonso being told to lift and coast due to a rear brake issue for much of the second half of the race, Hamilton closed up to within a second and a half of his old rival in the closing laps but was unable to snatch second place.

Red Bull’s margin of victory was also the smallest it has been all season, with Alonso finishing 9.5 seconds behind Verstappen.

Having initially thought his contact with the barriers was race-ending, Russell had produced a fine recovery drive to get up to eighth before having to retire on lap 55 with a brake problem.

Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez all made up positions by staying out during the Safety Car period and came home fourth, fifth and sixth after starting 10th, 11th and 12th respectively.

Ferrari instructed Sainz not to attack Leclerc while Perez struggled to put pressure on the two red cars after losing out in an opening-lap battle with Sainz.

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George Russell collided with the barriers as he was forced to limp back to the pitlane in his Mercedes

Alex Albon delivered Williams their best result since the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix as he finished seventh in the heavily upgraded FW45, fending off the challenge of Alpine’s Esteban Ocon in the closing stages.

Lando Norris came home ninth on the road, but was demoted to 13th in the final standings after being handed a five-second time penalty for driving too slowly behind the Safety Car.

As a result, Lance Stroll was lifted to ninth in his home race with Valtteri Bottas completing the top 10.

Canadian GP result
1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
2) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
3) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
4) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
5) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
6) Sergio Perez, Red Bull
7) Alex Albon, Williams
8) Esteban Ocon, Alpine
9) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
10) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo

More to follow…