Mika’s Tip

I think we will see three different cars on the podium this weekend – Red Bull, Aston Martin and Ferrari. Max Verstappen remains the man to beat but I expect Fernando Alonso to return to the podium in Montreal and for Charles Leclerc to have a better weekend. If the weather mixes things up, however, anything could happen – we have had surprise results before in Canada!

Mika’s Memories

I won the Canadian Grand Prix back in 1999, qualifying on the front row beside Michael Schumacher and winning the race when he hit the wall at Turn 13 on lap 30. Four drivers hit the wall that day, including Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve, which is why it became known as the Wall of Champions!

Montreal is a great circuit. It is a street track, of course, only used once a year, and the walls are very close in places so there’s not much run-off. It’s a ‘stop-go’ circuit with some very fast sections, particularly the Casino Straight between Turns 10 and 12, but the corners are generally slow and there are a lot of quick changes of direction. You need a well balanced car that works well with medium downforce and allows you to use the kerbs.

I raced there 10 times but retired on six occasions, which tells you a lot about how hard this circuit can be on the car. It’s hard on brakes, for example, thanks to the straights being followed by a heavy braking zones at the first corner, the hairpin at Turn 10 and the right-left at Turn 12/13.

Weather is often a big factor, and this weekend looks set to produce rain on each day, so that’s going to be a significant point for the teams and a drivers to consider. If you get wet-dry conditions, safety car periods and multiple pit stops could really mix things up.

Championship Form

While Max Verstappen is running away with the World Championship for Drivers, team mate Sergio Perez has had a more difficult time recently and admits that he needs a good, clean weekend if he is to recover lost ground. After the fourth race of the season in Baku, Sergio was only 6 points behind Max, but that gap is now 53 points and the Mexican driver really needs to put the mistakes of Monaco and Spain behind him.

Mercedes had a double podium in Spain but the team does not think that Montreal will suit their car as well due to its stop-go nature and downforce requirements. I am certain Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will again be in the mix, but if their W14 car does not work as well in Canada we will see Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin and Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari pushing for the podium.

It’s incredible to see Mercedes now 2nd in the World Championship for Constructors, overtaking Aston Martin. The team has benefitted from Lewis Hamilton and George Russell being both consistent and closely matched. Their strength as team mates is a huge benefit to Mercedes.

While Fernando Alonso has scored 99 points for Aston Martin, team mate Lance Stroll has scored 35, and I am certain the Canadian driver will be pushing hard to score a strong result at home.

After watching Ferrari win the Le Mans 24 Hours sport car race last Sunday, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz must be wishing they could mirror that performance in Formula 1. A win seems unlikely, but Charles is in need of a strong result and Carlos will be looking to build on the consistent points-scoring finishes which have made him Ferrari’s lead driver so far.

My former team McLaren produced a strong performance in qualifying in Barcelona, Lando Norris starting the race from 3rd on the grid. The team has been working flat out to unlock more pace from the car and convert it into a strong race performance. The midfield remains incredibly tight, but Lando and team mate Oscar Piastri are working hard to take the fight to Alpine.