Max Verstappen wins ‘crazy’ rain-hit Canadian Grand Prix

Dutch driver Max Verstappen celebrates his win in Montreal on Sunday. PIC/AFP

Max Verstappen eased the pressure on Sunday when he completed a hat-trick of victories at the Canadian Grand Prix to consolidate his early-season lead in the drivers' championship. After being beaten in two of the previous three races, the series leader and three-time champion bounced back to his competitive best, with the aid of excellent calls from his team in a tactical race, to win by 3.879 seconds ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris.

Mercedes' George Russell, who started from pole position, finished third ahead of a fast, but frustrated team-mate in seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton. Verstappen scored his third consecutive triumph at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and the 60th win of his career, having started second on the grid and, at times, riding his luck in a dramatic contest featuring two Safety Car interventions.

"That was a pretty crazy race and a lot of things were happening,"said Verstappen. "We had to keep on top of our calls and as a team we did really well today. We remained calm and we pitted at the right time." With both Ferraris failing to finish - just two weeks after Charles Leclerc claimed an emotional win in his home Monaco Grand Prix - Verstappen's success lifted him 56 points clear of the Monegasque driver in the title race.

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