The Canadian Grand Prix is the next stop in the 2025 Formula One season, and Montreal will serve up the next installment in what is already proving to be a gripping campaign. Max Verstappen began the campaign as the reigning world champion after romping to glory in each of the last four seasons. However, this term, he finds himself as an outsider to claim a record-breaking fifth straight crown due to the absolute rocketship built by McLaren.
2025’s Epic Three-Way Title Fight
The British team has provided the perfect tools for the job for their drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, to claim a maiden world title. Many thought that it would be the former that built on his ultimately unsuccessful challenge last term and took the fight to Verstappen again in 2025. Instead, though, it has been his younger Australian teammate who has stolen the show, winning four of the opening seven races and building an early championship lead.
Despite having a far slower car than his McLaren rivals, Verstappen remains in contention, and he is outperforming the expectations of his Red Bull mechanics. The Dutchman has won twice, and although online sports betting sites make him an outsider for the title, Super Max isn’t willing to relinquish his crown just yet. Websites offering sports betting in Canada currently price Verstappen as a +250 joint second favorite, level with Norris and behind the -110 priced Piastri.
Verstappen won at the Canadian Grand Prix last year, marking his third straight victory in Montreal. Over the years, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has been the site of some pivotal championship-altering victories, and another win for the reigning world champion on June 15th could perhaps be the biggest of them all. Here are the footsteps he would be following by picking up a campaign-altering victory in Canada.
🚨MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS HIS 60TH RACE AT THE 2024 CANADIAN GRAND PRIX! 🏆#F1 #CanadianGP🇨🇦
pic.twitter.com/vvEd7c2snu— Bodog (@BodogCA) June 9, 2024
2007 – Lewis Hamilton Arrives on the Big Stage
Now, Lewis Hamilton is arguably the greatest driver the planet has ever seen. He is a king of the Canadian Grand Prix and has a joint-record seven world championships. Back in 2007, though, he arrived in Formula One as a rookie.
Fernando Alonso was the sport’s unquestionable top star at the time, after claiming the title in each of the last two seasons, and he was the odds-on favorite to make it three on the spin in his first season with the British team. After moving to McLaren, he was joined by a rookie Hamilton, and the youngster initially looked happy to back up his more experienced teammate. However, podium finishes in each of the first five races left the rookie craving more.
Hamilton proved to be anything but ordinary from the get-go, and it soon became clear that he wouldn’t be remaining in Alonso’s shadow for long. In Canada, the dynamic between the two teammates changed irreversibly as the Brit claimed his maiden Grand Prix victory and proved that he was ready for a spot in the limelight despite his tender years. After qualifying on pole in Montreal, Hamilton managed to hold his nerve in a chaotic race, displaying experience far beyond his age and winning for the first time ever.
That triumph catapulted the youngster to the top of the standings, and suddenly, the apprentice was no longer happy being second in command. His Canadian exploits threw Hamilton’s name into the title conversation and sparked a fierce rivalry between him and his teammate, with tensions bubbling over both on and off the track. Their relationship soured as the season progressed, and McLaren’s inability to manage the internal feud cost the team dearly.
After a controversial internal dispute in which Alonso turned whistleblower and sparked the Spygate scandal, both drivers would ultimately miss out on the championship despite being in a commanding position with two races to go. The drama opened the door for Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen, and he won in both China and the end-of-season finale in Brazil to claim his first and only title by just one point.
2006 – Fernando Alonso’s Win Triggers a Michael Schumacher Fightback
A year prior, Alonso was looking to cement his status as the undisputed king of Formula One. He had just claimed his maiden world championship in 2005, and he was determined to successfully defend his crown. The Spaniard reeled off victories in five of the opening eight races, and by the time Canada rolled around, he already had a whopping lead at the top of the standings.
The Renault star headed to Montreal after winning three races on the spin, and at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, it was business as usual. Alonso duly romped to glory again, making it four straight wins and seemingly extinguishing any hopes of a title fight. But if anyone could take the battle to the all-conquering reigning champion, it was the veteran Michael Schumacher.
The German was in the twilight years of his career at the time and he had relinquished his stranglehold on the sport to Alonso the previous year. At the start of the 2006 season, he struggled to keep pace with the young champion, but his competitive fire remained undiminished. The veteran was in his final year in the sport, and he was determined to go down fighting.
Alonso’s commanding win in Canada appeared to galvanize Ferrari. Their German lead driver struck back with renewed vigor, clawing back points with a string of victories in the latter half of the season. From then on, the GOAT pushed Alonso to the limit, and with just two races to go, the two drivers were neck and neck.
Then, Schumacher suffered an engine failure in the penultimate race in Japan, retiring from the lead and swinging the title battle in Alonso’s favor at a crucial moment. The Spaniard duly clung on and claimed a second straight crown, but not before Schumacher had given him all he could handle in one of the all-time great championship challenges.
