The Canadian Formula 1 Grand Prix is set to run on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. The series returns to the Americas for one of the driver's favorite tracks, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. It will be the tenth race of the season, and only a short pit-stop before the European season returns to full swing.
Find my Formula 1 betting preview and Canadian Formula 1 Grand Prix prediction below.
Canadian Formula 1 Grand Prix Preview
The championship continues to look like it'll go to the wire, as McLaren's Oscar Piastri's dominant win in Spain sees him retake a 10-point lead over teammate Lando Norris. The duo has remained evenly matched, but it's only Piastri's terrible start to the season at his home GP in Australia that keeps Norris in the running. The Australian has won five races since then, to the Brit's two, and remains champion-elect for now.
It looked like it was going to be advantage Norris early in the weekend, as Piastri struggled to make the best of the practice session. The Brit took second place in the second session on Friday, then improved to first in Saturday's morning running before qualifying. However, as it had often been the case with Norris, it all came crashing down spectacularly in the deciding moments, with a missed breaking point in his first attempt at Q3, then a terrible second attempt that saw him nearly a second off pole, in seventh.
However, it won't be the other papaya car sitting in the first slot of the grid, as Mercedes' George Russell reprised his 2024 effort to take top spot. Defending champion Max Verstappen made a valiant effort but could only muster second. Championship leader Piastri secured third, leaving it all wide open for Sunday.
The Canadian Grand Prix has long been a favorite of drivers and fans alike, offering both entertaining and competitive racing. One of F1's less aerodynamically dependent tracks, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve features three DRS zones, including the long back straight. Coming off a very slow hairpin and going into a hard braking zone, it gives plenty of chances for daring hearts and cool heads.
Strategy will also play a factor. Canada is one of the least abrasive tracks in the calendar, meaning that Pirelli takes its two softest compounds for the race. The short pit lane and fast asphalt make it ideal for a two-stop race, although planning carefully and positioning drivers in clean air, and away from DRS trains is crucial.
Formula 1 Predictions: Canadian GP
Max Verstappen Race Winner (+150, BetMGM)
The defending champ starts the race from the second spot, but he's the favorite at a track where he's won the last three years. Verstappen has had pace all weekend long, particularly at sector two, where most other top runners struggled to make the most of their cars.
The Dutchman remains very much in the title fight, less than fifty points off Piastri with over half the season to go. Getting good points at a race where both McLarens could struggle to perform is a win-win situation.
Granted, he's bound to fight a tough nut to crack in Russell, a driver who's pushed him to the edge of both racing pace and track manners on more than one occasion. But being just one point away from a potential suspension, Verstappen will stay clear of any unnecessary confrontation, and likely has enough pace to let his laptimes do the talking.
Fernando Alonso Top 6 (+450, BetMGM)
Another man who's won in Canada before, Fernando Alonso, has made the Aston Martin AMR25 one of the fastest cars on the grid. It remains to be seen whether it has overtaken Williams and Racing Bulls as the best-of-the-rest, but it's now been four races since Alonso qualified outside the top 10. He's also missed a top-six spot only once in that spell.
Locked in for a top 10 finish across all practice sessions, the two-time champ sealed the deal as he was one of a few drivers gambling on a slower but more stable medium tire to put his car in sixth. He has also demonstrated in Spain that the car can sustain one-lap speed over the race distance. If he can catch a break from his terrible luck this season, and the likes of Ferrari's Charles LeClerc and Norris fail to improve their showings, the top six is well within reach.
Franco Colapinto Top 10 (+275, BetMGM)
What a great moment to show up for the Argentine driver. Colapinto had been extremely disappointing since taking over from Australia's Jack Doohan ahead of the Emilia-Romagna GP, with a 13th-place finish in Monaco his best result.
The Buenos Aires driver had shown none of the pace that impressed many when he first broke through with Williams in 2024, and talks of a potential removal after the initial five races Alpine had him confirmed for loomed over his head.
It all finally clicked for Colapinto in Canada, where, after another dumbfounding set of practice sessions, he showed all his talents to secure a Q2 spot. Slides at the final corner in his two attempts kept him from earning a place in Q3, but penalties to Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda and Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar saw him elevated to 10th place. It's far from a given, but if he can keep the act up in the race, a top ten finish and his first points for Alpine should follow.
