Formula 1 crosses the Atlantic again to break up its European season and return to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix.
McLaren‘s one-two at the Spanish GP last time out was overshadowed by controversy involving Red Bull‘s Max Verstappen, not that the Papaya squad would care given its ever-growing advantage in the constructors’ standings.
But the semi-permanent facility in Montreal for this weekend will provide a very different challenge, so what are the talking points to look out for?
Verstappen redemption?
The main talking point from the Spanish Grand Prix was Max Verstappen‘s collision with George Russell during a hot-headed end to the race following a late safety car.
Verstappen had been pressuring McLaren with a three-stop strategy before the safety car scuppered him and Red Bull, with the switch to hard tyres and contact with Charles Leclerc‘s Ferrari and then Russell leaving him frustrated.
But what followed was unsavoury and three penalty points put Verstappen within one transgression of a race ban. So while he has to be on his best behaviour for the rest of the month, history dictates that when he is fired up, he is a force to be reckoned with.
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What better place to take the fight back to McLaren than at a circuit he has won the past three races at for Red Bull?
McLaren favourites as usual, but could Mercedes be the threat?
The technical directive aimed at bringing an end to excessive wing flexing arrived at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with everyone waiting to see what impact the stress test changes would have on F1’s pecking order.
It quickly became clear that McLaren had not been negatively impacted by the changes, as had been hoped by rivals given complaints last season, as Piastri and Norris finished one-two with plenty of pace in both qualifying and the race.
That is a sample size of one race but there is no reason to believe the Woking-based outfit would fall off drastically this weekend.
With Verstappen likely to challenge, Mercedes could also prove to be a thorn in McLaren‘s side given the cool weather forecast for the weekend. The Silver Arrows have struggled in warmer temperatures but in similar conditions last season, Russell took pole position.
A repeat performance with a W16 that has seemingly been easier to get to grips with than its predecessor could provide the Briton and team-mate Kimi Antonelli with a podium chance, though Ferrari’s improved form in recent races could thwart that as well – the Scuderia having surpassed Mercedes for second in the constructors’ standings last time out.
To that point, Lewis Hamilton is given a popular hunting ground to try and rediscover his mojo at – the seven-time world champion is the joint winning-most driver at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve with seven Canadian Grand Prix wins, tying with Michael Schumacher.
Will Stroll recover for his home race?
Aston Martin could have a driver dilemma at the Canadian Grand Prix if regular pilot Lance Stroll remains injured for his home race.
Stroll pulled out of the Spanish GP after qualifying due to discomfort in his wrist – the same one injured in pre-season back in 2023 – with surgery completed to try and fix the issue.
It means he has faced a race against time to be fit for the Montreal event and although he is more likely to race than not, another weekend on the sidelines would give Aston Martin a headache given the race clashes with Le Mans.
Felipe Drugovich has indicated he would prioritise F1 over his Cadillac seat for the 24-hour endurance classic, though that would need any decision on Stroll’s fitness to be made sooner rather than later.
If Stroll pulled out on Friday or Saturday, then Valtteri Bottas – Mercedes’ third driver – would be the likely substitute for the race, given the time it would take Drugovich to get from Le Mans to Montreal and Cadillac’s need to find a replacement for the Brazilian.
