Max Verstappen emerged as the winner of the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix in the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League. The race took place under unpredictable weather conditions, with Lando Norris and George Russell securing second and third places respectively on the podium. Unfortunately, both Ferrari and Williams faced a double retirement during the race.
Due to the rain, all teams, except Haas, started the race with intermediate tires at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Russell took the lead, closely followed by Verstappen, as a dry racing line began to form on the track.
Verstappen made a mistake on lap 17, allowing Russell to have a brief break. However, this gave Norris the opportunity to close in on the leading group. Shortly after Verstappen’s mistake, Norris successfully overtook him, securing second place, and on the next lap, he passed Russell to take the lead.
Russell’s race worsened when he went off track at the final corner. Upon rejoining the race, he found himself in front of Verstappen, who seized the opportunity to overtake him and take second place.
By lap 25, the track had significantly dried out and teams had to make a decision regarding tire changes. The crash of Logan Sargeant, a Williams driver, catalyzed the decision-making process. Verstappen and several other drivers immediately made their pit stops, but Norris missed the chance to change his tires as he had already passed the pit entry. He had to settle for third place after making his stop.
The pit stop for Pierre Gasly for hard slick tires on lap 41 caught the attention of the rest of the pack. Lewis Hamilton, who was in fifth place, decided to make his slicks stop on lap 44. However, this proved to be a premature move as Oscar Piastri, who pitted after Hamilton, emerged well ahead of him.
Verstappen and Russell made their pit stops from the lead positions on lap 46, while Norris stayed out on track. Norris eventually pitted but lost valuable time due to the wet conditions in the pits and struggled with cold slick tires. Verstappen took advantage of this and overtook Norris to regain the lead.
Despite a mistake by Russell a few laps later, Norris managed to secure second place, with Verstappen in the lead. The accidents of Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz led to the safety car coming out and the retirement of Ferrari and Williams.
During the second safety car period, Mercedes opted to pit both their drivers for slick tires, while Verstappen and the McLarens stayed out on track. Verstappen capitalized on the restart on lap 59 and won the race with a 3.8-second advantage.
Meanwhile, Norris found himself leading a group of cars, with Piastri, Russell, and Hamilton in pursuit. Russell tried to pass Piastri but was unsuccessful, losing a position to his teammate Hamilton in the process.
Hamilton, the fastest driver on track, managed to overtake Piastri on lap 66. On the final lap, Russell overtook Hamilton at the last chicane, but Hamilton fought back and narrowly missed out on the final podium spot by 0.6 seconds. Norris held onto second place, finishing with less than half a second advantage over Russell.
Despite starting on pole position, Russell apologized over the team radio during the warm-up lap. Leclerc, who had engine issues early on, made a pit stop during the first safety car period to fix the engine, but had to switch to hard tires. The rest of the pack was on intermediate tires when the race resumed.
With rain falling again, Leclerc struggled to keep up with the pace, posting significantly slower laps than Verstappen. He eventually pitted for intermediate tires, but was overtaken by Verstappen, further compromising his race.
Leclerc was instructed to retire the car, resulting in a double retirement for Ferrari due to Sainz’s later accident and the second safety car period.
Williams also suffered a double retirement when Albon, who had pulled off an impressive double overtake earlier in the race, was hit by Sainz in the late-race incident.
Aston Martin scored points with Fernando Alonso finishing sixth and local driver Lance Stroll in seventh, ahead of Ricciardo.
Alpine achieved a notable result with Gasly’s pit stop strategy paying off, securing ninth place. Despite a five-place grid penalty, Ocon managed to finish 10th after starting 18th. However, an order to swap positions with Gasly caused tension within the team.
Haas had a strong start, with Magnussen and Hulkenberg starting on wet tires and briefly entering the top 10. However, as the track dried, they lost pace and dropped out of the top 10 after switching to intermediate tires. Hulkenberg finished 11th, followed by Magnussen in 12th and Sauber’s Bottas in 13th.
Zhou Guanyu, who started from the pitlane alongside his teammate Bottas, had a slow pit stop and finished in 15th place, behind RB driver Tsunoda. Tsunoda spun at the end of the race, but narrowly avoided a collision with Magnussen.
© 2024
In the year 2024, there were standout sporting events around the world. Among them, we can highlight the final of the football championship, which brought together the best teams on the planet in a fierce competition for the title. Additionally, we also had major basketball, tennis, and motorsport competitions that engaged sports fans around the globe.
In football, the championship final was a true spectacle. The teams displayed a high level of skill and determination on the field, providing exciting moments for the fans. In the end, the winning team celebrated the title victory, while the defeated team lamented the missed opportunity.
In basketball, the games were marked by incredible plays and matches contested until the final second. The players showcased their talent and skill, delivering a high-level sports spectacle. Fans cheered with every basket and celebrated alongside their favorite teams.
In tennis, top names in the sport faced off in memorable matches. The tennis players showcased their technique and physical endurance, providing moments of great emotion for the spectators. The matches were intense and contested point by point, demonstrating the high level of competitiveness in the sport.
In motorsport, the races were thrilling and full of adrenaline. The drivers displayed their skill behind the wheel, overtaking their opponents in dangerous turns and high-speed straights. Fans were thrilled by the fierce competition and cheered with every overtaking move and victory on the tracks.
In summary, the year 2024 was marked by major sporting events that delighted fans around the world. Soccer, basketball, tennis, and motorsport provided moments of excitement and entertainment for sports lovers. The competitions were fiercely contested, showcasing the passion and dedication of the athletes involved.
