Verstappen bags victory as rain causes Montreal chaos

Max Verstappen overcame the weather and capitalised on a well timed safety car to thwart Lando Norris and George Russell and win an action-packed Canadian Grand Prix.

- SCOTT HUNT

Norris came alive in changeable conditions to take the lead having started third but, in a role reversal from Miami, was undone by the timing of the safety car and had to settle for second.

Pole-sitter Russell endured an incident-filled race but saw off teammate Lewis Hamilton in the closing stages to claim Mercedes’ first podium of the season.

Russell took pole having set an identical time to Verstappen during a thrilling qualifying session on Saturday, where the top seven were separated by less than three tenths of a second.

Heavy rain began around 90 minutes before the start and 18 of the 20 cars began on intermediate tyres – with Haas pair Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg on wet rubber from 14th and 17th on the grid.

The leaders tiptoed into turn one and the top four retained positions as Russell led Verstappen.

Magnussen and Hulkenberg were flying and by the seventh lap the Dane charged past Oscar Piastri to take fourth while his teammate was up nine places to eighth.

Their joy was short-lived as the rain eased, with Magnussen having to pit on lap eight.

Monaco winner Charles Leclerc, who started 11th after a miserable qualifying for Ferrari, was told he had an engine issue which was costing him half a second a lap.