Formula One 2024: Canadian Grand Prix Preview and Predictions

The Canadian Grand Prix is upon us. Will Max Verstappen get back to winning ways, or will Charles Leclerc continue his run?

It was a race to remember for all in Monaco as the Ferrari home boy won in front of his fans. Two weeks later, Formula One is back, and we are in Canada this week.

While at the start of the season it looked like we might have another Red Bull washout on our hands, Ferrari and McLaren have hit back to put multiple teams in the mix for a win. 

With the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix getting underway this weekend, here are some of the predictions for the race.

Verstappen to reassert dominance

After an iconic Monaco GP, which saw homeboy Leclerc win, racing moves to a more orthodox circuit. 

While Red Bull were off the pace right from Friday’s first Practice session, and Sergio Pérez qualified a woeful P18, it was Verstappen who saved face for the Austrian team, finishing P6 and making the most out of a bad situation.

Red Bull’s flaws at slow corners were obvious. Moving to Montreal, the team will breathe a huge sigh of relief as we shift away from the street circuit to a more general race track, giving Verstappen the advantage once again. 

The Dutchman has showcased class in the last two races in Canada, having picked up wins here in 2022 and 2023. It should be him on top step of the podium once again come Sunday. 

Pole position: Max Verstappen
Race win prediction: Red Bull

Also read: Formula One Sponsors 2024

McLaren back in the mix

While Red Bull have been the outright favourites in every race for the last couple of seasons, British team McLaren have been slowly making their way to the front of the field. Now, they are actually in the mix for wins every weekend. 

While Red Bull and Ferrari might still start each race as overwhelming favourites, McLaren have finally got a challenger to take the fight to them. An iconic name in the sport, one cannot not have them in the fight for too long.

With a fresh and extremely talented driver pairing in Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, McLaren will be in the mix for the podium once again in Montreal and more, should there be incidents up front. Count on them to do well.

Tough times for the French

In February earlier this year, Alpine revealed quite a unique challenger, the A524, which was completely “revised” from their previous challenger as the aggressive design was supposed to be working towards “maximising potential for the next 2 seasons”. 

The progress Alpine wanted to make has been absent, though, with the A524 looking like the slowest car on the grid, with only the Sauber car giving it competition for the wooden spoon.

It took six races for the French team to finally get one point (tenth place in Miami), while Pierre Gasly secured their second point in Monaco. Their challenger looks anything but reliable for points.

While they have started bringing upgrades, Alpine have also announced that there will be no upgrades for the next few races as they now look all set to battle it out right at the back of the grid in the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix.

Race details

Circuit: Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
Venue: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Practice Session 1 time: 23:00, June 7
Practice Session 2 time: 02:30, June 8
Practice Session 3 time: 22:00, June 8
Qualifying time: 01:30, June 9
Main race time: 23:30, June 9
Where to watch: F1 TV Pro / FanCode

All timings IST