Martin Brundle on the results of the Canadian Grand Prix

Former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports F1 commentator Martin Brundle summarized the results of the Canadian Grand Prix.

The top seven on the grid were separated by just over a quarter of a second, with six thinking they should have been on pole, including Alonso in sixth and a distraught Hamilton in seventh. They all believed that mistakes in the fast lap kept them from achieving more.

Ultimately, Russell completed a lap on the break-in tires fast enough and early enough to beat Verstappen, who achieved the same result, to within three decimal places. It would be terrible for Formula 1 if we immediately went to four or even five decimal places.

McLaren’s Norris and Piastri took the second row, while Ricciardo started fifth – he was happy with his effort and didn’t claim he should have done better.

My Sky Sports F1 colleague Jacques Villeneuve had harsh words for Daniel, but I must say I have the utmost respect for all Formula 1 drivers, not least Daniel and Jacques, because I know how difficult it is to keep this formidable to drive machines.

Daniel won eight Grand Prix, including a notable victory in Monaco, stood on the podium 32 times and regularly showcased world-class talent. But these results were achieved a long time ago and I would like him not to leave Red Bull at the end of 2018. It was an emotional and wrong decision, he should have confronted Max in a better car and he would certainly have performed even better.

Ricciardo was never the same driver again. Obviously he still has the speed and skill, as we saw in the sprint in Miami, but there is something in his psyche or approach that is holding him back.

McLaren and Mercedes are faster than Red Bull

Intermittent rain always adds spice to the race, and this stage was no exception. In the opening laps, Haas drivers Magnussen and Hulkenberg, on heavy rain tires, could be seen tearing through the field on intermediate tires. Haas decided to take a chance, but why not, after all, Kevin managed to climb to fourth place. But the leading teams believed in the prediction, which this time turned out to be accurate and helped their tires on time.

Russell went ahead of Verstappen, the McLaren drivers held their positions and soon they were all looking for wet spots on the track to cool their tires. A few strong overtakes allowed Norris to take the lead and pull away from the rest. On the intermediate tires the McLaren car was fastest and could easily have won on pace.

The safety car after Logan Sargent’s crash came out at the wrong time for McLaren. They should have realized that the safety car was imminent, but since Lando was already close to entering the pit lane, they decided to leave him on the track. It cost him time and possibly victory.

The rain became heavier, fresh intermediate tires were needed for a while and Verstappen’s only Red Bull continued to battle with two McLarens and actually two Mercedes. The race consisted of a lot of aggressive defending and overtaking. It wasn’t an all-time classic, but it was memorable.

The second conclusion is that on a dry track the Mercedes cars were the fastest, now they could win simply because of their speed. But a critical mistake at Turn 8 under heavy pressure cost Russell his position on the track and the chance to attack Verstappen, who struggled with the suspension as he attacked the curbs.

Hamilton was very fast at one point and made a comeback after being behind Alonso in the first phase of the race. Lewis later called his race one of the worst, which is not clear to me at all. He may have made many small mistakes. The young riders in front of him are still youthful, fast and fearless, but already quite experienced. To match them and win, Lewis must give 100% in everything.

If Verstappen is the star of the last race, then Perez and Ferrari were terrible. Despite problems with weather, rivals and a safety car, Verstappen took his 60th Formula 1 victory, highlighting a dismal weekend for the newly revamped Perez in another Red Bull car. He qualified poorly, suffered front wing damage in Turn 2, did not make much progress and then retired. Bad.

Ferrari wasn’t having much fun anymore, or any fun at all. Since the start of the weekend, they have lacked speed on the circuit named after one of the most famous Ferrari drivers of all time, both on dry and wet asphalt. Leclerc had engine problems. From eleventh place, he decided to embark on a wild adventure with slicks during a pit stop, during which he managed to get the power plant into the desired mode after a restart.

Carlos Sainz, who started twelfth, did not get far either; his spin took out Alex Albon in Williams, who at one point overtook two cars in a row.

This meant that neither Ferrari nor Williams had a finisher. Aston Martins drivers have a great chance.

The two Alpine drivers, who finished 9th and 10th and had two cars in the points for the first time this season, kept some tension between them, but that was down to team tactics.

Both Haas cars were less than a second behind them, but earned no points.

New regulations for 2026

As the weekend progressed, dramatic changes to the Formula 1 regulations for 2026 were announced. In fact, they were a cross between a draft regulation and a list of technical wishes, which meant they were received somewhat skeptically by the teams and the press.

About half of the power comes from the batteries, half from the engine. By reducing downforce and drag through active aerodynamics, this force can be better utilized. The cars will be slightly smaller and lighter, the aim is to reduce the total weight by 30 kg.

I am sympathetic to such ideas. Things usually end well when the FIA, Formula 1 and the teams combine their talents and resources. Over the decades, Formula 1 has had to evolve to remain advanced and relevant while fulfilling its primary role of entertaining people.

Some fear that cars with this aerodynamic size will be too fast on the straights and too slow in the corners. My personal concern is that the front and rear fenders move significantly and may not return to the correct position in a high speed turn due to dirt, damage or defects.

Another problem that we will face in 2026 is that the engine will lose the turbocharger MGU-H, which is very useful for generating electrical energy, and the new cars will not have battery regeneration through the front wheels. Therefore, especially on circuits with many straights and few braking zones, it will be difficult to generate the necessary amount of energy for a significantly larger battery. How this will affect racing remains to be seen, but those celebrating the impending discontinuation of DRS should be careful what they wish for.

Losing 30kg from a car that, although smaller, has improved safety systems, active aerodynamics and a large battery will be difficult. We’ll find out soon enough; they will hit the track in just 18 months and teams won’t be able to start working on the aerodynamics until 2025, according to regulations.

I have been attending the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal since 1984 and this year was undoubtedly the least enjoyable in terms of location. The popularity and scale of modern Formula 1 had outgrown the venue’s capacity, and the rain turning the ramps into mud didn’t help either. Police and security are looking increasingly aggressive and helpless, due to ongoing logistical problems.

The next race is in Barcelona, ​​where it’s all about chassis and handling, although the championship has been visiting some specialist and idiosyncratic circuits lately. The stopwatch will determine who has really improved their car.