After an eventful end to a stunning European triple-header in Spain two weeks ago, Formula One racing is back this week as the grid heads to Canada.
With an intra-team battle at McLaren, Max Verstappen looking to bounce back after a shocking incident, and Ferrari looking to get back in the Constructors’ fight, there are plenty of stories to follow heading into the Montréal race this weekend.
Here’s our preview and predictions for the 2025 F1 Canadian Grand Prix.
Watch out for Ferrari
F1’s joint-most successful driver in Canada with seven wins, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton will look for a turn of fortunes as he arrives in Montréal with Ferrari. His last couple of races haven’t been ideal; while his teammate has been fighting for podium places, the veteran Brit has struggled to keep up with the front three and is still waiting for his first podium of the year.
However, Canada has been a happy hunting ground for Hamilton. As they get closer to the likes of McLaren and Mercedes every race week, Ferrari will definitely pose a threat, and one can always count on Hamilton to deliver when the chips are down.
Pole position prediction: Oscar Piastri / Lando Norris
Race winners prediction: McLaren / Ferrari
An angry Bull is coming
The reigning world champion had a race to forget in Spain as he finished P10 after a shocking late-race incident. On the restart, Max Verstappen had a brainfade moment and drove straight into Mercedes’ George Russell, which handed him a 10-second post-race penalty to mark his worst-ever finish in Spain.
That said, the Dutchman has a strong record of bouncing back in style whenever he has had a poor result. Remember the 2022 season-opener in Bahrain? Or Azerbaijan in 2021? Verstappen always responds strongly, and one can count on the Red Bull star to do so in Canada, where he has won the last three races, with his car having shown strong race pace recently.
While the McLaren drivers might be too far ahead, don’t count out Verstappen from being in the fight for the win. Expect the quadruple world champion to bounce back strongly.
Alpine in all sorts of trouble
It’s been a poor first half of the season for Alpine. The French team are last in the Constructors’ standings with only 11 points, having scored points on Sunday on just two occasions.
Alpine have struggled massively on Sundays, not having enough race pace to challenge for points. Despite Pierre Gasly having two Q3 appearances in the last four races, he and Alpine haven’t been able to convert them into points finishes.
The Gilles Villeneuve circuit is one that puts drivers on edge, as even the smallest of errors is punished severely. Given the track’s trickiness, it looks like Alpine are in for another tough weekend.
Strugglers of the weekend: Alpine
Canadian GP 2025: Race Details
Circuit: Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
Venue: Parc Jean-Drapeau, Montréal, Québec
Practice Session 1 time: 23:00 IST, June 13, 2025
Practice Session 2 time: 02:30 IST, June 14, 2025
Practice Session 3 time: 22:00 IST, June 14, 2025
Qualifying time: 01:30 IST, June 15, 2025
Main race time: 23:30 IST, June 15, 2025
Where to watch: F1 TV Pro / FanCode
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