Round 9 of the 2023 Formula 1 championship starts this weekend on June 16th. For this race weekend, we’re headed to Montréal, Canada to the famous Gilles-Villeneuve circuit.
After a rather uneventful race weekend in Barcelona, Canada should provide more opportunities for drivers to show off their skills and driving prowess. For drivers such as Sergio Perez, Canada could be the turning point in the championship. With nothing to lose, Sergio might as well go all in if he is to challenge Max Verstappen for the title. Will he be able to pull it off? UK bookmaker William Hill has the latest odds!
※ Current Odds Date & Time: June 12th, 6:00 A.M. (EST)
The odds as is to be expected are heavily in favour of Max Verstappen to win this weekend’s race. Sergio Perez is following close behind, priced at 6.00. A slight change compared to the Spanish GP two weeks ago. As it stands, it would seem that the bookmakers don’t have much faith in Sergio seriously challenging Max for race wins as he is too prone to errors and mistakes while trying to find those fine margins at every circuit.
An interesting change, compared to the Spanish GP, is Lewis Hamilton. Being priced at only 13.00, this stands out as the biggest change yet. The upgrades Mercedes brought with them to the Spanish GP secured them 2nd and 3rd place, giving them a slight edge in the championship over Aston Martin and Ferrari.
The Circuit
The circuit for this weekend’s race as usual is the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit. Built in 1967, the man-made Island of Notre Dame was originally designed for the Expo 67 World’s Fair. Once the expo and the following 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics finished, it was decided to make a race track out of the island’s roads. And lo and behold, the Circuit Ile Notre-Dame, as it then was, came to be.
The circuit today bears the name Gilles-Villeneuve and it is a magnificent track to say the least. With 3 DRS zones and only 14 corners, this track is one of the most fun ones to drive on. The circuit is 4.361 km long and features 70 laps, covering a distance of 305 km during the race. The current lap record is held by Valtteri Bottas, at 1:13:078, set in 2019.
What to Expect?
Starting off with Red Bull, it is safe to say that pretty much every circuit on the F1 calendar suits them. Be it a slower, more technical track such as Monaco or a high speed one like Canada, the Red Bull machine can take it all. The surprising bit however is the driver’s performance.
While Max Verstappen continues to perform weekend in and weekend out, his teammate, Sergio Perez, is not that lucky. Often mixed up in tricky on-track battles or simply caught kissing the barriers, Sergio has been under-performing this season. Red Bull’s senior adviser, Dr. Helmut Marko even went so far as to say that “He [Sergio] has nothing to lose at this point”, indicating that perhaps his place at Red Bull could be in danger for next season. Will Perez deliver in Canada? We will have to wait and see.
A 3-way battle to watch out for in Canada is definitely being fought by Mercedes, Aston Martin and Ferrari. With the odds heavily in favour of Mercedes, Aston Martin and Ferrari will have to be at their absolute best to match the W14’s speed. As Spain proved, Mercedes’ new aero design works and the side-pods installed on the W14 challenger have the potential to bring them to the front once more!
