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©1999-2023 Crash Media Group
The total or partial reproduction of text, photographs or illustrations is not permitted in any form.
Verstappen edges Sainz to win Canadian Grand Prix - as it happened
Polesitter Max Verstappen held off Carlos Sainz's challenge to win the F1 Canadian Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton returned to the podium.
Follow reaction here...
Hamilton pumps in a new fastest lap of the race with a 1m16.769s to pull nearly eight seconds clear of Russell in the battle for the final podium spot.
Mercedes pit Russell one lap later. So he drops back behind Hamilton and the two Mercedes are now on the same strategy. The gap is 7.5s between them.
Hamilton rejoins in fourth, 12.1s behind Russell.
Verstappen breezes past Hamilton on the back straight as Hamilton pits again.
Lap 43: Verstappen pits from the lead.
He rejoins just behind Hamilton!
Lap 42: Leclerc makes his first pit stop.
He rejoins in 12th place and in the middle of a DRS train after a slow pit stop with an issue on his left rear.
When it rains, it pours for Ferrari...
Lap 42: Sainz continues to eek closer to Verstappen. The gap between the leaders has just dipped below six seconds.
Ferrari to Leclerc: "We're thinking plan D"
Quite what that means is anyone's guess!
Leclerc is still a frustrated sixth and stuck behind Ocon, despite having more pace.
Sainz is beginning to slowly reel in Verstappen. A fastest lap from Sainz puts him within 7.5s of the leader.
Lap 34: "I feel like I'm already losing tyre grip," reports Verstappen.
Tsunoda and Ricciardo have joined Zhou in the DRS train currently being led by Stroll in ninth.
"I just don't have the grip on exit," Leclerc reports to his team.
He's currently stuck behind Ocon's Alpine despite running in DRS range.
Lap 28: Alonso finally comes in to the pits to make his stop after complaining about graining.
Alonso re-emerges out in seventh on the hard tyres, a couple of seconds behind the recovering Leclerc.
Red Bull tell Verstappen: "OK, so car behind now Sainz, gap 9.4. He has been told he is going to the end, so you are free to push, Max."
Verstappen replies: "How many laps does he have to do on that tyre?"
Red Bull respond: "50."
Lap 25: Verstappen leads by just over nine seconds from Sainz, whose tyres are around a dozen laps fresher than the Red Bull driver.
Lap 24: Hamilton also finds his way past Alonso on the back straight. The seven-time world champion is up to third!
Lap 22: Sainz breezes past Alonso to put himself up into second place.
Hamilton is just 0.5s behind Alonso now in the battle for third spot.
Leclerc, meanwhile, has passed Bottas into the final chicane. That puts the Ferrari driver up to seventh.
Lap 21: Sainz managed to pit just before the Virtual Safety Car ended and rejoins in third behind Alonso and just ahead of Hamilton's Mercedes.
Schumacher is second retirement
Schumacher has stopped at Turn 8 and the Virtual Safety Car is out again.
Mercedes take advantage by pitting Russell, who comes out on hard tyres and in fifth.
Lap 18: Bottas finally gets himself into the top 10 with a pass on Albon, who loses momentum coming out of the final corner after being pinched by Bottas.
That enabled Leclerc to capitalise, and the Monegasque sweeps by to move into 11th.
Lap 16: Verstappen passes Alonso with the aid of DRS on the back straight and moves into second.
The reigning world champion is 5.5s behind race-leader Sainz. At this pace, it won't be long before he catches the Ferrari man.
Leclerc is not having an easy time of it down in 12th. He's stuck behind Bottas, who also has DRS from Albon ahead.