Ever since his debut, Max Verstappen was destined to rewrite the record books in Formula One. Though the two-time reigning champion had to wait until 2021—six years after his debut in 2015—to get his hands on a car that could win races regularly, the Dutchman has since then maximised the opportunities.
At the recently concluded Canadian GP, Verstappen got his 41st Grand Prix victory and is now level with the legendary Ayrton Senna on the all-time list for the most number of wins.
It was also Red Bull Racing’s 100th victory as a constructor. It became the fifth team in F1 history to join an elite club, whose members include Ferrari (242 wins), McLaren (183), Mercedes (125), and Williams (114).
The energy-drink manufacturer has yet to lose a race this year, with Verstappen taking six and Sergio Perez winning the other two.
With this win, the reigning double-champion has extended his lead in the drivers’ standings to 69 points over his teammate Perez.
In what has become a pattern this year, Fernando Alonso took his sixth race podium, finishing behind Verstappen in a heavily-upgraded Aston Martin.
READ: Red Bull eyes 200 after winning 100th grand prix
Lewis Hamilton came home third in his Mercedes, while his teammate George Russell had a forgettable weekend when he hit the wall and retired after trying valiantly to drive with a damaged car.
Verstappen easily took pole position after struggling for pace during practice and converted it into another win, his fourth consecutive this year. Though Verstappen won with ease yet again, the race in Montreal was the closest he has been pushed this season, with Alonso finishing just nine seconds behind.
His only nominal rival is his teammate Perez, whose challenge has fizzled out over the last three weekends. The Mexican driver has messed it up in qualifying, been out of place at the start, and has had to fight back up the grid. With the most dominant car under his belt, Perez should be finishing second behind his teammate, even with a few tenths deficit to Verstappen.
But the fact that he has not even been on the podium over the last three rounds illustrates how poor a job he has been doing. After winning two out of the first four races, Perez’s form has nosedived, with Alonso now just nine points behind him in a car that has never threatened to win a race. A few more weekends like these and question marks will be raised over his race seat, especially with Daniel Ricciardo lurking in the background.
MotoGP
Unlike Formula One, MotoGP is readying for another season of an intriguing battle for the championship. In the recently concluded German GP, Jorge Martin produced a clinical performance winning both the Sprint and main race to get within 16 points of leader and defending champion Francesco Bagnaia.
Leader of the pack: Jorge Martin extended his lead at the top with a win at the German GP. | Photo Credit: AFP
Martin, driving a Ducati for the Prima Pramac Racing, got the better of the factory Ducati driver Bagnaia, who had to settle for second in both races. On Sunday, both riders traded the lead a few times before Martin prevailed over Bagnaia by just 0.064s to take his first win of the season. Marco Bezzecchi, the other contender for the title, had a poor outing in Germany that saw him slip to third in the standings.
However, the big story of the weekend was six-time champion Marc Marquez who crashed five times in his Honda, suffered another fracture, and had to pull out of the Sunday’s race.
Marquez has been the king of Sachsenring and has never lost a race in this circuit, winning eight times since his debut in the premier class in 2013.
Le Mans
Even though Ferrari’s challenge in Formula One is faltering, the Italian marquee made a triumphant return to the world of endurance racing, winning the iconic 24 Hour of Le Mans.
The line-up of Alessandro Pier Guidi , James Calado and Antonio Giovinazz , driving the Ferrari 499P, guided the AF Corse team to top honours at the 91 st running of the iconic race. A Ferrari last won this race back in 1965. Incidentally, the 2023 edition was the centenary anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans , which debuted in 1923. The race did not happen from 1940 to 1948 due to World War-2.
Winning trio: The race winning Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P of Alessandro Pier Guidi (driving), James Calado (L) and Antonio Giovinazzi (R) celebrate at the finish of the 100th anniversary 24 Hours of Le Mans race at the Circuit de la Sarthe June 11, 2023 in Le Mans, France. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
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