For a moment, Lewis Hamilton must have tried driving again and felt true joy; The feeling that can drive you away when you overtake the fastest. Who knows, maybe even the pain Hamilton inflicted on his borderline hopping car in Baku at the moment, when he was pulled out of the cockpit after the race and had to support for the first few meters, was already forgotten. was given. like an old man

And now, a week later in Montreal: 44 laps had been completed, when the seven-time world champion swung his helmeted head into the air with full force. His old rival, world champion Max Verstappen, who had clearly expected a faster pit stop, actually made his way down the pit lane on the track. And Hamilton really surpassed that.

But the enchanting moment lasted only a few seconds, it was as real as a mirage. Hamilton, for his part, had to ditch and was in need of fresh tyres. And Verstappen not only passed Hamilton, he didn’t let anyone else stop him when it was restarted with 17 laps to go behind the safety car, which was triggered by Japanese Yuki Tsunoda when he hit his Alpha. Tauri was followed deeply into the gang. , Carlos Sainz still in the Ferrari hung stubbornly on Verstappen for a few laps. But in the end, Verstappen was trying to control Sainz in the ninth race at Ferrari and Hamilton for his sixth win.

The starting grid reads like a trip back in time

Oh yes, Charles Leclerc, Verstappen’s World Cup rival? He finished fifth after a brave run, which he had to start from behind. Because Ferrari’s weak drive already this season required far more attention from mechanics than the rules allowed, Monegasque was penalized and placed 19th on the grid. He is now 49 points behind Verstappen.

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The official parking bay arrangement in Montreal is read not like a starting grid, but like a trip through time – ten years ago. Fernando Alonso in second place? And a Schumacher in sixth place? Indeed, it had rained heavily to qualify to field Mick Schumacher, two-time world champion and record world champion Michael’s son from Spain so far.

On the other hand, this did not detract from the performance of Alonso, who circled the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve 1.6 seconds faster than teammate Esteban Ocon and now started from the front row for the first time since the 2012 German Grand Prix . And not Schumacher, who entered Q3 for the second time in his career. Schumacher saw the starting spot as evidence of a talent that had recently been called into question by more and more observers, still given zero World Championship points and two huge crashes. “It shows that I’m here for a good reason,” he said defensively. He meant: Formula 1.

The first lap was already very unsatisfactory for Mick Schumacher

The lights went out on Ile Notre-Dame. And Alonso didn’t keep his word. He did not attack 16-year-old Verstappen, who called him old the day before, to which Alonso declared: “I will overtake him tomorrow. Let’s see who looks old then!” What to say Four corners were turned and Alonso, who was lazy, was still the old man, Verstappen the Youngster.

The first lap was particularly unsatisfactory for Schumacher: he overtook Esteban Ocon in the alpine shortly after the start. Then he was not careful in turning the hairpin, and George Russell also secretly pushed his silver arrow inside. One lap was run and Schumacher was only eighth, with his teammate Kevin Magnussen, who had betrayed him several times this season: in fifth place.

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Alonso, certainly not only old but always a fox, tried to stretch himself in front of oncoming traffic like a semitrailer. After all, he had waited ten years for this start from above. But after just three laps, Sainz harnessed the superior power of his Ferrari and finished second without resistance. It was now up to the Spaniard to leave the group around his old favorite rival Lewis Hamilton at least as far back as they were together at McLaren, who already felt “motivated” after qualifying for fourth place. Did, his best result this season. Because Magnussen had damaged his front wing in a duel with Hamilton, he had to pit for an exchange. He then fell back to the end of the field.

Eight laps were run when Sergio Perez also reported problems to his Red Bull team. “I’m stuck in a gear,” he called into the radio. Then he fell. This was not the weekend of the Mexicans and was second in the world championship standings, having only applied for 13th place on the grid. The safety car was activated and Verstappen and Hamilton at the front took the opportunity to change the tyres very quickly. So Sainz and Alonso temporarily took the lead.

And Schumacher now also knows what it means to be denied World Cup points not by a driving error – but by reliability problems with his Haas. Suddenly smoke emanated from behind, one of the two energy recovery units broke down, Schumacher rolled over, the second time the virtual safety car was activated. “It’s an unpleasant feeling,” Schumacher later complained to Skye. “We had fifth-place pace.” And in connection with the fact that after a year and a half in Formula 1, he is still waiting for his first championship point, he made a promise: “Another day.” Some other day.

While the drivers who didn’t stop at the first opportunity are now heading for their pothole lanes, Alonso lingers a bit of mystery: He drove. It was only after Hamilton overtook him that he went to the supply lane and was handed new tyres. In the end, greatly annoyed, he was only in seventh place – still behind his teammate Okan.

Halfway through the race, Verstappen was ahead of Sainz and the Silver Arrows of Hamilton and Russell. Leclerc had meanwhile made 13 places and was already in sixth place. However, he was driven into the wall behind Ocon – and as one of only three drivers he had yet to hold.

Tension prevailed for a while after Sunoda and the safety car crashed. Alonso lost his position to Ocon, and when he wanted to overtake his teammate, his team radioed: Hold your position! Sainz especially benefited as he was able to make a time-saving pit stop. Ultimately, however, Verstappen has repeatedly propelled him to the top.

And Lewis Hamilton? Springy as a teenager, he jumped out of his Mercedes at the end of a satisfying day’s work. No symptoms of back pain. He smiled and said, “We’re getting closer and closer! I almost feel young again.”