Verstappen holds off Norris to win 3rd straight Canadian Grand Prix | CBC Sports

This year’s Canadian Grand Prix looked nothing like it did a year ago, but the result turned out the same.

Formula One leader Max Verstappen drove to his third consecutive win in Montreal, joining seven-time world champions Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton as the only drivers to three-peat at the Canadian GP.

In 2023, Verstappen led all 70 laps and won by nearly 10 seconds at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

On Sunday, he started second behind pole-winner George Russell. The race featured three different leaders and tons of overtakes amid tricky conditions on a gloomy day in Montreal.

“It’s a lot of fun to drive these kinds of races now and then, you don’t want it all the time because that’s too stressful,” said the Red Bull driver, who won by 3.879 seconds. “But I had a lot of fun out there today.”

WATCH: Verstappen captures another Canadian Grand Prix:

It was the reigning three-time champion’s 60th career victory, and his 50th in the last 75 races.

McLaren’s Lando Norris and Russell of Mercedes finished second and third to round out the podium.

Verstappen was coming off a sixth-place finish at the Monaco GP and faced problems all weekend with his vehicle, which spat smoke in Friday’s practice session due to a battery problem. The 26-year-old from the Netherlands and his Red Bull team had the winning drive and strategy.

“As a team, we made the right calls today,” Verstappen said. “It’s great to have three wins in a row here. I hope I can add more in the future.”

Norris, meanwhile, lamented his team’s decisions.

“We should have won the race today and we didn’t so, frustrating. We had the pace,” Norris said. “We should have won today. It’s as simple as that.”

Canada’s Lance Stroll finishes 7th

Montreal’s Lance Stroll ranked seventh for his best result on his home track.

“It was a tough track with the condition, so I’m really satisfied to score points,” Stroll said. “Lots of points, the sixth and seventh positions are really good for the team.”

The race started with a soaking wet track before blue skies emerged 10 minutes in, but rain showers returned periodically throughout the afternoon.

It was the Dutch driver’s sixth win in nine races this season. He increased his lead in the drivers’ standings to 56 points over second-place Charles Leclerc of Ferrari.

Verstappen’s 60 career wins are the third most all-time behind Hamilton (103) and Schumacher (91).

Hamilton, a seven-time Canadian GP winner, finished fourth after a late push when he briefly grabbed third.

An announced 350,000 spectators made the trip to the track over the event’s three days.

The poor weather didn’t stop fans from rolling into Notre Dame Island on Sunday as an array of colours — including Ferrari red, McLaren orange and neon yellow rain ponchos — filled the grandstands.

The Canadian GP returns to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve next year. The racetrack is under contract with F1 until 2031.

The F1 series returns to Europe for the Spanish Grand Prix on June 23.