On June 19, the main race of the 2023 F1 Canadian Grand Prix took place in Montreal. After 70 intense laps, Red Bull driver Verstappen emerged victorious, followed by Aston Martin's Alonso in second place and Mercedes' Hamilton in third.
This marked Verstappen's 41st career Formula 1 win, equaling the legendary Ayrton Senna's record. However, he still has a way to go to match Hamilton's impressive 103 wins.
Alonso and Hamilton secured the second and third positions, respectively, in the Canadian Grand Prix.
Based on the qualifying results and penalties, the top ten drivers lined up as follows: Verstappen, Alonso, Hamilton, Russell, Hockenberg (dropped three places due to speeding under red flag conditions), Ocon, Norris, Perez, Gasly, and Leclerc.
As the lights went out, Verstappen, starting from pole position, maintained his lead through Turn 1, while Hamilton overtook Alonso to claim second place.
In the 12th lap, Russell crashed into the wall, leading to the deployment of the safety car. Verstappen and other drivers took advantage of this opportunity to make pit stops, while both Ferrari drivers chose not to pit.
Russell managed to return to the race after repairs, with a new front wing and tires but found himself at the back of the pack.
When the race resumed, the top ten drivers were Verstappen, Hamilton, Alonso, Leclerc, Sainz, Perez, Magnussen, Bottas, Ocon, and Gasly.
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In the 22nd lap, Alonso successfully overtook Hamilton, moving up to second place.
In the 39th lap, Sainz made his first pit stop, switching from the starting compound to a set of hard tires. On the following lap, his teammate Leclerc also completed his first stop, opting for the same tire change.
By the 40th lap, Perez overtook Albon, climbing to sixth place. Remarkably, it took him 40 laps to move up from twelfth to sixth.
In the 41st lap, Hamilton made his second pit stop, switching to a set of medium tires. Shortly after, Alonso also made his stop, but he chose a set of hard tires instead.
In the 55th lap, Russell retired from the race.
In the 64th lap, Norris engaged in an exciting battle with Bottas. Ultimately, Norris overtook Bottas to secure ninth place.
Norris received a 5-second penalty for unnecessarily slow driving during the previous safety car period, rendering his overtaking move ineffective.
In the end, Verstappen maintained his lead to claim victory. It was reported that he collided with a bird during the race, and the remnants of the bird were stuck behind the brake duct.
Verstappen's triumph was never in doubt. This win marked Red Bull's 100th victory and Verstappen's 41st career win, matching Senna's record. Alonso and Hamilton finished in second and third place, respectively.
