Verstappen seeks record fourth Canada win and trouble-free weekend
The four-time world champion goes into Sunday's race knowing that, if he collects one more penalty point on his racing license, he will automatically miss the Austrian Grand Prix later this month.
That, according to his great mentor, Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko, "would be a catastrophe".
"He mustn't do anything wrong over the next two weekends and, of course, he will be told not to do anything rash," the Austrian told speedweek.com.
The 27-year-old, who lies third in the drivers' championship with 137 points, behind leader Oscar Piastri on 186 and his McLaren team-mate Lando Norris on 176, was penalised at the Spanish Grand Prix for ramming into George Russell's Mercedes.
"He admitted it was a deliberate action that "should not have happened" following the race, won with supreme self-control by Piastri, but now must survive two Grands Prix without incident before the points total on his license is reduced.
"Barcelona was disappointing for us," admitted Verstappen. "Although we gave it everything, it was not the way we would have liked the race to turn out...
"We are looking forward to Canada –- the track is unique, has some old school kerbs and plenty of opportunities for overtaking."
For Verstappen, the return to a high-speed circuit where brakes are tested to the limit may be welcome as he and Red Bull seek to slow runaway leaders McLaren in the title race.
Winless Mercedes
Mercedes and Ferrari will also hope for encouragement at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve where a big crowd is likely to give home hope Lance Stroll support as he returns after a medical procedure to reduce wrist and hand pain.
Mercedes technical boss James Allison said: "It's a track where we've tended to go well in the past and I'm looking forward to it. We have a few new bits to take and we'll see how we get on."
The Silver Arrows are winless since the Las Vegas Grand Prix last year while McLaren, remarkably given their current supremacy, have not won in Canada since 2012 when seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton claimed one of his seven wins at the venue, a record that he shares with Michael Schumacher.
Ferrari, always well-supported by the knowledgeable and passionate crowd, last won in Montreal in 2018, but will need a swing in fortune to secure another success, although the circuit has always been a favourite for Hamilton, who claimed his maiden win there in 2007.
However, Hamilton arrives in Canada without a single podium finish this year and in need of a boost as he struggles with his car amid much paddock debate about the wisdom of his decision to leave Mercedes, where he won six of his seven world titles.
For the 40-year-old Briton, it is not yet a crisis –- he retains total support from Ferrari and team boss Fred Vasseur –- but after nine of the 24 races this year, a long way from being a success.
The American Haas team will mark their 200th race by switching to a grey livery that recalls their original colours in 2016.
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Race ban would be his own fault, Russell warns Verstappen
The Briton, who clashed with the four-time world champion last season and again at the Spanish Grand Prix earlier this month, said he believed the Dutchman had attempted to scare him when he rammed his Red Bull into Russell's Mercedes. "He was trying to run me off the road," said Russell, speaking to reporters ahead of this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix. "I don't think he was trying to intentionally crash into me. He wanted to just sort of scare me a bit, but he just misjudged it. "Again, it wasn't going to scare me, it was all just a bit surprising. I'm not looking for an apology. His actions cost him -- and they benefitted me. So I should be almost thanking him! "Obviously, I'd be feeling very differently if it took me out of the race, but it is good to see that he took accountability. I was a bit surprised about that." Verstappen avoided talking about the incident after the race, but admitted on social media 24 hours later that he had done something that should not have happened. He was penalised and dropped from fifth to 10th and was also given a three-point penalty on his driving super-licence, taking him to 11 points. If he reaches 12 in the next two races he will be given a one-race ban. "It wouldn't be unjust," said Russell. "At the end of the day, that's why the penalty points are there. If you keep driving recklessly you will accumulate points and get punished with a race ban. "You've got it in your own hands and it doesn't go without risk." Russell added that he did not expect Verstappen to change his aggressive style. "I don't think so, but it depends on the circumstances, doesn't it? When you are going for a championship, it's slightly different. "That's why I believe he wasn't intentionally trying to crash into me. He was just trying to get his elbows out and show who's boss, but he got that wrong –- Jos (Verstappen's father) is the boss!' Russell said he had briefly spoken to Verstappen since their clash, but they did not talk about the incident. "We bumped into each other at the airport on Sunday morning when I was going to Roland Garros. To be honest, I totally forgot about Barcelona because he was there with his new-born and we were at the security machine. "We just had a quick chat and then he was busy folding the pram down to put it through the machine."
France 24
8 hours ago
- France 24
Hamilton slams Italian media speculation on Ferrari and Vasseur
The seven-time world champion asked reporters to "stop making stuff up" as he delivered an impassioned response to the reports on the eve of this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix, an event he has won a record-equalling seven times. "To everyone that's writing stories of me considering not racing, I've literally only just started with Ferrari," he said during a news conference at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. "I'm here for several years. I'm here for the long haul so there's no question about where my head's at and what I'm working towards achieving with this team. "There are zero doubts so, please, stop making up stuff." Italian media stories had suggested Vasseur was responsible for the team's disappointing start to the season when they had been expected to challenge McLaren for the championship. After nine races, with Hamilton, 40, brought in as a marquee signing to lead a title bid, the team languish 197 points behind McLaren in the teams' title race while Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are winless in a drivers' championship led by the two McLaren drivers. Hamilton said: "I was made aware of this just before I got here so I've not read the stories and it's definitely not nice to hear that there are stories like that out there. "Firstly, I love working with Fred. Fred's the main reason I'm in this team and I got the opportunity to be here, for which I'm forever grateful, and we're in this together. "We're working hard in the background. Things aren't perfect, but for me, as I've said, I'm here to work with the team, but also with Fred. "I want Fred here. I do believe Fred is the person to take us to the top. So this, ultimately, is nonsense what people have written." Vasseur exit 'not on cards' When asked about the possible exit of Vasseur, he added: "I don't think that's on the cards as far as I'm aware and it's certainly not something I would be supportive of. "Embedding new people, new personnel, whether it's a driver, or whether it's engineers or people who run an organisation, it takes time to adjust and the impact that has is significant. "So that's not part of the discussion. I'm here to win with Fred and he has my full support." Earlier, Carlos Sainz, the driver Hamilton replaced at Ferrari, had also launched a strong defence of Vasseur and, like Hamilton, blamed the media for stirring up a crisis that did not exist. "Same story as always, the moment that the results don't click in Ferrari, there's always finger-pointing by the media, and all this chaos happening," said Sainz, who now races for the rapidly improving Williams team. He added that despite being replaced in the team, he had no ill will towards Ferrari or Vasseur. "If you ask me, about Fred, well I have a great relationship with him. Obviously, we went through a tough month where he didn't want me and he signed Lewis, but apart from that, we made peace."
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13 hours ago
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Heir to an empire, Ferdinand Habsburg seeks new crown at Le Mans
The 27-year-old Ferdinand Zvonimir Maria Balthus Keith Michael Otto Antal Bahnam Leonhard Habsburg-Lothringen is the great-grandson of Charles I, who stood aside as the last Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary in November 1918 on the day World War I ended. "Ferdi" will start his fifth Le Mans on Saturday, his second in the premier Hypercar class, sharing driving duties in an Alpine with Charles Milesi and Paul-Loup Chatin. "The goal is to win. Of course. But for me personally, it's to just enjoy it. You know, in the end, it's such a cool experience to be in Le Mans," he told AFP. The heir apparent to the House of Habsburg-Lothringen was born in Salzburg. As a child he dabbled in music, football, fencing and horse riding. "I was a child that was not able to sit still," he said. "It was torture for me!" Then he discovered karting. "And I was like, OK, finished. Finished with everything else," he said. "My parents taught me something: If you like something, you follow it." He started competing. "I had no clue about anything. Then it just went step by step by step," he said. "I won the Austrian championship. It was a surprise for everyone." He rose through the motor-racing classes, reaching Formula 3 in 2017. "It became clear that I was too old or not successful enough for F1," he said good-naturedly. In 2019, he switched to the German Touring Car Championship without making a splash. In 2021, he moved to the World Endurance Championship and in his first 24 Hours of Le Mans, finished first in his class. His relaxed manner makes him popular in his team. "He's the one who always sets the mood, no matter what the situation," said Milesi. "He's quite sunny," said Chatin. "He has a great capacity for concentration, regardless of the results." 'Everything I could ever want' Ferdinand's father Karl Habsburg-Lothringen long ago formally surrendered all claim to the Austrian throne but remains the head of the Habsburg family. Karl is coming to Le Mans for the first time to watch his son, the royal racing driver. "It was a surprise for a lot of my family, but mainly because I will become the head of the house. My father is the head of the house Habsburg and I will inherit this title. For example, if someone in our family wants to get married, they have to ask my father for permission. This is still a tradition. I will inherit this role and for them to think that I'm a racing driver and not something a bit more serious... is a shock." Ferdinand says that despite the illustrious name, his father's family, whose assets were taken over by Austria in 1919, are not in a position to underwrite his career. "After World War I, when my great-grandfather was in exile, he started with zero again. From being the emperor to being zero," Habsburg said. His mother, on the other hand, is from the Thyssen industrial dynasty. "I was lucky that my mother's family came from wealth and I was able to financially support my racing career in the beginning." Ferdinand, a devout Catholic, recently passed his bus driving test so he can do more in his work with young people "like the Boy Scouts". "We have a lot of prayer together, but also hiking in nature," he said. "The idea is to bring boys from all different backgrounds together to show kind of role models in life." He is driving for charity this weekend. "The idea is for every lap in Le Mans to feed one child extra for a whole year. "If I win the race, all of my prize money goes as well," he said.
