Racing in the rain always brings another set of challenges on top of the usual challenges that come with the normal challenges of piloting an F1 car. There is less grip, more sliding less control, and completely unpredictable. Do you go on the wet tires? What about the Intermediate tires, and how quickly can you get on the slicks? These questions always have different answers for different F1 teams. If you are right you may be at the top of the podium. If you are wrong, you could end up in the wall and out of the race.
A Wet Start
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The question going into the race was whether you start on the blue wet tires or the green intermediates. The HAAS F1 cars were the lone cars to start on the blue wets, and they were fast. Kevin Magnussen made his way up to fourth place at one point. However, with the cars on the track, a dry line formed slowly and surely, getting the track to favor the intermediate tires.
The McLarens showed to have great speed in the limbo state of the race, where the track was dry enough for the slicks, but rain was coming. Lando Norris was able to pass Max Verstappen and George Russell in successive laps. As Norris looked to take command of the race, Logan Sargent hit the curb and put it into the wall, bringing out the first safety car on lap 24.
At the time of the safety car, Norris had already passed the pit entry while Verstappen, Russell, and Oscar Piastri were able to come down the pit. Norris, being the leader, was picked up by the safety car and came out of the pit third behind the Redbull and Mercedes a lap later when he pitted.
The Switch to Slicks
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The change to the slicks is the most important decision of the race. Max Verstappen and George Russell made the decision to go to slicks on lap 46. Norris waited till lap 49 to come down Verstappen and Russell was able to overtake Norris coming out of the pit, however once Norris was able to get heat into the tires Norris was able to get Russell back.
Then on lap 54 another safety car came out. Alex Albon lost control of his car and collected Carlos Sainz in the maylay. In an unrelated incident Sergio Perez lost control of his car and hit the wall making him the fifth retiree of the race. During the safety car period both Mercedes came to pit Hamilton got the hard compound tires while Russell got the mediums.
Russell lost one spot in the pits as the McLarens and Verstappen stayed out. As the race went back green, Verstappen was able to scamper off into the distance and win his sixth race of the season, his first since Imola, his third straight in Canada. Norris was able to come home second, and George Russell passed Lewis Hamilton in the closing stages of the race to get his first podium of the year. Hamilton getting his first top 5 of the year and his best finish since the Mexico Grand Prix last year. Oscar Piastri finished fifth.
F1 Big Dogs Go Down Hard
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There was a showcase of driving in the front but Ferrari F1 was noticeably absent. Both Ferrari missed the third round of qualifying on saturday starting 11th and 12th and the Sunday did not get better. LeClerc the winner at Monaco two weeks ago had engine issues and eventually lead to a retirement after a bonehead pit strategy hail mary attempt. Sainz was caught up in the crash on lap 54.
Sergio Perez the other Redbull driver, fresh off his two year contract extension was knocked out in the first round of qualifying getting out qualified by Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricardo once again. Perez knocked himself out of the race on lap 54 for his second consecutive DNF this year.
Point Standings
| Driver | Points | Behind |
| 1. Max Verstappen | 194 | |
| 2. Charles LeClerc | 138 | -56 |
| 3. Lando Norris | 131 | -63 |
| 4. Carlos Sainz | 108 | -86 |
| 5. Sergio Perez | 107 | -87 |
| 6. Oscar Piastri | 81 | -113 |
| 7. Geroge Russell | 69 | -125 |
| 8. Lewis Hamilton | 55 | -139 |
| 9. Fernando Alonso | 41 | -153 |
| 10. Yuki Tsunoda | 19 | -175 |
Constructors Standings
| Team | Points | Behind |
| 1. RedBull | 301 | |
| 2. Ferrari | 252 | -49 |
| 3. McLaren | 212 | -89 |
| 4. Mercedes | 124 | -177 |
| 5. Aston Martin | 58 | -243 |
| 6. RB | 28 | -273 |
| 7. HAAS | 7 | -294 |
| 8. Alpine | 5 | -296 |
| 9. Williams | 2 | -299 |
| 10. Kick Sauber | 0 | -301 |
Next Race
The race begins with the European leg of the F1 Calendar. The next F1 race is June 23rd for the Spanish Grand Prix. The race begins at 9 am Eastern time. The final F1 race will be in Barcelona in the foreseeable future as the Spanish Grand Prix is being moved to Madrid. The F1 race will be broadcast on ESPN.
About The Author
Dillon Hildreth is a writer for Total Apex and a lifelong fan of Football with his favorite teams being the New England Patriots and the Georgia Bulldogs. Dillon is also a fan of Motorsports Red Bull in Formula One and William Byron in NASCAR. You can catch Dillon Stream F1, NASCAR, and other video games and side casts on Twitch.
