Max Verstappen Equals Ayrton Senna's Record

Red Bull Racing F1 racer, Max Verstappen. (Photo: Twitter @redbullracing)

JAKARTA - The extraordinary achievement was again achieved by Red Bull Racing racer Max Verstappen. This man from the Netherlands equaled the record set by Formula 1 legend Ayrton Senna.

Verstappen won the Canadian Grand Prix F1 race at the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit, Montreal, on Monday, June 19 in the morning WIB. Verstappen recorded 1 hour 33 minutes 58,348 seconds to finish the 70-lap race.

Verstappen started the race at the Canadian GP F1 pole position and managed to take the far lead from the racer behind him with a distance of +9.570 from the second position, namely Aston Martin team driver Fernando Alonso.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton had to settle for the third podium in this race by a +14,168 margin from Verstappen. The fourth and fifth positions are occupied by Ferrari duo, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.

This victory made Verstappen record six wins from eight race series in 2023. It is also his 41st win in F1 and makes him equal to Senna who also has the same record.

Verstappen, who started the pole position, went smoothly and began to open the distance slowly. Meanwhile, Alonso and Hamilton overtake each other several times throughout the race.

Mercedes driver George Russell had an accident on lap 12 so the safety car had to be removed. A number of riders took advantage of this situation to change tires at the pit stop.

Racing resumed, the driver's position did not change until the 22nd lap when Alonso managed to overtake Hamilton to take second place.

After that, Hamilton tried to hunt down Alonso. However, the Spaniard managed to maintain his position until he finished.

Verstappen was at the forefront from the start of the race racing smoothly without a rival until it crossed the finish line. Meanwhile, Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez finished the race in sixth place.

Verstappen said he was happy to be able to win his sixth victory in 2023.

"Of course I am very happy at this time. This is not an easy race because the tire grip is not good," he said after the race, quoted from the official F1 website via Antara.

"Today was so cold compared to Friday and we had a bit of trouble controlling the car, but we were able to handle it. We were able to win again and win the 100th Grand Pring for this team was really amazing," continued vetstapppen.

When asked if he hoped to get resistance from other riders, Verstappen said the condition of the tires was the reason he did not get pressure from other riders.

"First of all, I did a good job today, but it was very difficult because the tire grip was quickly lost. That's why the distance (with other riders) was not too big, and also because of the safety cars. However, most importantly we were able to win," he said.

The F1 competition will return to the Austrian GP which will take place from 30 to 2 July at the Red Bull Ring Circuit, Spielberg.

The following are the complete results of the 2023 Canadian GP F1:

1. Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Red Bull Racing2. Fernando Alonso (Spain) Aston Martin F1 Team +9,570s3. Lewis Hamilton (England) Mercedes AMG Petronas +14,168s4. Charles Leclerc (Monaco) Scuderia Ferrari +18,648s5. Carlos Sainz Jr (Spain) Scuderia Ferrari +21,540s6. Sergio Perez (Mexico) Red Bull Racing +51,028s7. Alex Albon (Thailand) Williams Racing +60,813s8. Esteban Ocon (France) Alpine F1 Team +61,692s9. Lance Stroll (Canada) Aston Martin F1 Team +64,402s10. Valtteri Bottas (Finland) Alfa Romeo F1 Team +64,432s11. Oscar Piastri (Australia) McLaren F1 Team +65.101s12. Pierre Gasly (France) Alpine F1 Team +65,249s13. Lando Norris (England) McLaren F1 Team +68,363s14. Yuki Tsunoda (Japan) Scuderia AlphaTauri +73,4323s15. Nico Hulkenberg (Germany) Haas F1 Team +1 lap16. Zhou Guanyuyu (China) Alfa Romeo F1 Team +1 lap17. Kevin Magnussen (Denmark) Haas F1 Team +1 lap18. Nyck de Vries (Belanda) Scuderia AlphaTauri +1 lap 1 lap

Failed to finish pundit Russell (England Mercedes AMG Petronas DNFLoganUant (United States) Wiliams Racing DNF