Motosport General discussion tread --- Formula1, MotoGP, WTCC, ETCC, DTM.....

[tokeweed]

It's an F1 race weekend folks...  Nice to get these every couple or so weeks after the shenanigans that went on in the Middle East.  For the BCT regs over there, stay safe and hope you guys are alright.

Here's the schedule this weekend.

2025 F1 Canadian GP Schedule
Track:  Circuit Gilles Villeneuve



May 22, Friday:  Practice 1  12:30 - 13:30
May 22, Friday:  Sprint Qualifying  16:30 - 17:14
May 23, Saturday:  Sprint  12:00 - 13:00
May 23, Saturday:  Qualifying  16:00 - 17:00
May 24, Sunday:  Race  16:00

[Koal-84]

KTM bike seems to be loss its power which made Acosta made a sudden slow down while Alex was on his full speed behind him so Alex unable to avoid the crash.

I watched the interview with Pit Beirer in German (since I’m from Austria myself), and apparently there was an issue with a sensor in the gearbox. You can already hear in the video that Acosta wanted to shift up, but the gearbox went into emergency mode. As a result, he couldn’t engage the next gear, and that was the cause of the loss of speed, which ultimately led to the tragic accident.

The final drama was on the last lap when Acosta crashed in the last corner before finish, many people says that it is a karma for Acosta LOL.

I can’t understand that. First of all, Acosta himself was not at fault in the accident with Alex, and secondly, in his own crash, the main responsibility lies with Ai Ogura, who was too fast and pushed him off the track. Ogura also went to the KTM box to apologize, and he received a long lap penalty as well. Since it could no longer be served, it was converted into a 3-second penalty.

[retreat]

It's an F1 race weekend folks...  Nice to get these every couple or so weeks after the shenanigans that went on in the Middle East.  For the BCT regs over there, stay safe and hope you guys are alright.

Here's the schedule this weekend.

I thought I'd miss this race, since it was supposed to start around my bedtime. But from a distance, I could see that Mercedes would likely win this race because they had the advantage on the straights. Still, this could be quite an exciting race, as the Canadian GP always produces unexpected results, and perhaps McLaren could disrupt Mercedes' position? Or perhaps Ferrari's strategy miraculously worked? 

[ILuckyGuyI]

It's an F1 race weekend folks...  Nice to get these every couple or so weeks after the shenanigans that went on in the Middle East.  For the BCT regs over there, stay safe and hope you guys are alright.

I was much more excited about F1 weekends until this season... FIA just didn't want to make it going the same way while the number of spectators was increasing. They just wanted to kill the sport instead!

Since then the numbers have started declining sharply in the world. I'm still watching the races but not with a great joy. At least it's nice to hear that FIA president has taken a step back and decided to make it 50-50 for electricity and ICE in 2027. 

[tokeweed]

It's an F1 race weekend folks...  Nice to get these every couple or so weeks after the shenanigans that went on in the Middle East.  For the BCT regs over there, stay safe and hope you guys are alright.

Here's the schedule this weekend.

I thought I'd miss this race, since it was supposed to start around my bedtime. But from a distance, I could see that Mercedes would likely win this race because they had the advantage on the straights. Still, this could be quite an exciting race, as the Canadian GP always produces unexpected results, and perhaps McLaren could disrupt Mercedes' position? Or perhaps Ferrari's strategy miraculously worked? 

Lol a miracle won't dare go near Ferrari.   

Seriously tho if an upset is what you guys want to bet on then I'd rather put that money on Verstappen more than any other driver on the grid.  The team behind him still has the best minds in terms of race and strategy in F1.

Here's an oldie but goodie. 

F1 1999 Canadian Grand Prix:  Extended Highlights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9RTTUvd6Nc

[goodpunt]

I have a good feeling that Russell will strike back against Antonelli and win in Canada!
So will use my freebet from Rainbet that I won here in a forum contest to back him.
He will be difficult to beat and at his best <---- have to write this to convince myself since I think that Antonelli will win but Russell's win odds were higher

[retreat]

I have a good feeling that Russell will strike back against Antonelli and win in Canada!
So will use my freebet from Rainbet that I won here in a forum contest to back him.
He will be difficult to beat and at his best <---- have to write this to convince myself since I think that Antonelli will win but Russell's win odds were higher

Judging by the odds, it's highly likely that Mercedes will win the Canadian GP again, but it won't be Russell, but Kimi. It's not about Russell's car, he has almost the same chance as Kimi, but about the psychological pressure he's under right now. With Kimi's performance so good, he feels outmatched, and coupled with some tough weekends, it makes it even more difficult to win this race. Even the bookies don't have him as the favorite to win this race, which further confirms that Kimi still has a good chance of winning this race, and I feel the same way. So yeah, it's a bit of a risky bet, I think.

[goodpunt]

Judging by the odds, it's highly likely that Mercedes will win the Canadian GP again, but it won't be Russell, but Kimi. It's not about Russell's car, he has almost the same chance as Kimi, but about the psychological pressure he's under right now. With Kimi's performance so good, he feels outmatched, and coupled with some tough weekends, it makes it even more difficult to win this race. Even the bookies don't have him as the favorite to win this race, which further confirms that Kimi still has a good chance of winning this race, and I feel the same way. So yeah, it's a bit of a risky bet, I think.

But what speaks for Russell is the fact that the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve absolutely suits him.
So the perfect race for Russell to strike back but of course nothing is certain since Antonelli is currently on a hot streak.

I'm also thinking about placing a small each way bet on Norris, since I think he will be the best of the rest like the current odds already imply.
Will first wait for the FPs to gather more data, in any case I hope for a thrilling race

[tokeweed]

I have a good feeling that Russell will strike back against Antonelli and win in Canada!
So will use my freebet from Rainbet that I won here in a forum contest to back him.
He will be difficult to beat and at his best <---- have to write this to convince myself since I think that Antonelli will win but Russell's win odds were higher

Yeah if there was a driver or a couple of drivers that could beat Antonelli in this spot, it's Russell...  And by a long shot, Verstappen.

Hope you win your bet as I too had lots of these kinds of 'feelings' from time to time...  Most of those bets lost and that's an overstatement. 

[retreat]

But what speaks for Russell is the fact that the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve absolutely suits him.
So the perfect race for Russell to strike back but of course nothing is certain since Antonelli is currently on a hot streak.

I'm also thinking about placing a small each way bet on Norris, since I think he will be the best of the rest like the current odds already imply.
Will first wait for the FPs to gather more data, in any case I hope for a thrilling race

Well, that's possible, since he won this GP last year, and Kimi might have some issues that make it difficult for him to win this race. But still, prepare yourself mentally for the worst case scenario: Kimi could lose you the bet. While putting Norris as an alternative option is reasonable, but it's still likely you'll lose your money.

I personally don't expect this to be a thrilling race, since the 2026 regulations have ruined all that.

[goodpunt]

Yeah if there was a driver or a couple of drivers that could beat Antonelli in this spot, it's Russell...  And by a long shot, Verstappen.

Hope you win your bet as I too had lots of these kinds of 'feelings' from time to time...  Most of those bets lost and that's an overstatement. 

Thanks mate
I had a relatively good run last season hit 4/5 (early season) and one cashback on Shuffle last season.
Not sure why I stopped anyway hope Russell can deliver if not congrats Antonelli!

Well, that's possible, since he won this GP last year, and Kimi might have some issues that make it difficult for him to win this race. But still, prepare yourself mentally for the worst case scenario: Kimi could lose you the bet. While putting Norris as an alternative option is reasonable, but it's still likely you'll lose your money.

I personally don't expect this to be a thrilling race, since the 2026 regulations have ruined all that.

Since it's betting I'm always prepared for anything
Regarding Norris I would make a slight profit if he reaches the podium when going each way but it doesn't matter now.
Forgot about the sprint race and that we have only FP1.
It's not possible to gather any meaningful long-run data from FP1 and the setups for the sprint are not a good indicator.
So will skip Norris.....would be a bit tilting if Antonelli and Russell both crash out and Norris wins the race on Sunday

[retreat]

FP1 has concluded with Mercedes dominating the session, with Kimi and Russell barely adrift. This practice session didn't go smoothly, however, as it was severely disrupted by three red flag periods: Liam Lawson's first, Alex Albon's groundhog strike, and Esteban Ocon's loss of his front wing after colliding with a wall.

RIP that groundhog.

2026 F1 Canadian Grand Prix: Full FP1 results
1   Kimi Antonelli   ITA   Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team   1m13.402s
2   George Russell   GBR   Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team   1m13.554s
3   Lewis Hamilton   GBR   Scuderia Ferrari HP   1m14.176s
4   Charles Leclerc   MON   Scuderia Ferrari HP   1m14.355s
5   Max Verstappen   NED   Oracle Red Bull Racing   1m14.366s
6   Lando Norris   GBR   McLaren Mastercard F1 Team   1m14.799s
7   Oscar Piastri   AUS   McLaren Mastercard F1 Team   1m14.963s
8   Arvid Lindblad   GBR   Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team   1m15.452s
9   Nico Hulkenberg   GER   Audi Revolut F1 Team   1m15.698s
10   Fernando Alonso   ESP   Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team   1m15.863s

https://www.crash.net/f1/results/1095800/1/2026-f1-canadian-grand-prix-full-friday-practice-results

Sprint Qualifying will start soon.

[retreat]

Russell seems to have run out of patience and is starting to fight Kimi. In this sprint race, it was like déjà vu seeing Russell and Kimi cutting each other off and almost crashing, just like Hamilton and Rosberg—even Toto himself immediately warned them to keep their cool. Well, if Rosberg were to interview Kimi, we know what he'd say to him.

The result was as we expected, except for Norris taking advantage of the Kimi-Russell clash to take second place. Not a particularly exciting sprint race, but this one is quite entertaining.

2026 F1 Canadian Grand Prix - Sprint results
Pos   Driver   Nat.   Team   Laps
1   George Russell   GBR   Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team   23
2   Lando Norris   GBR   McLaren Mastercard F1 Team   +1.272s
3   Kimi Antonelli   ITA   Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team   +1.843s
4   Oscar Piastri   AUS   McLaren Mastercard F1 Team   +9.797s
5   Charles Leclerc   MON   Scuderia Ferrari HP   +9.929s
6   Lewis Hamilton   GBR   Scuderia Ferrari HP   +10.545s
7   Max Verstappen   NED   Oracle Red Bull Racing   +15.935s
8   Arvid Lindblad   GBR   Racing Bulls   +29.710s
9   Franco Colapinto   ARG   BWT Alpine F1 Team   +31.621s
10   Carlos Sainz   ESP   Atlassian Williams F1 Team   +36.793s

[Distraction]

Russell seems to have run out of patience and is starting to fight Kimi. In this sprint race, it was like déjà vu seeing Russell and Kimi cutting each other off and almost crashing, just like Hamilton and Rosberg—even Toto himself immediately warned them to keep their cool. Well, if Rosberg were to interview Kimi, we know what he'd say to him.

The result was as we expected, except for Norris taking advantage of the Kimi-Russell clash to take second place. Not a particularly exciting sprint race, but this one is quite entertaining.

Finally seeing some action! After the cancellation of 2 Grand Prixs there was another huge break. It was way too much for the beginning of the season!

As for the sprint yeah. Russell is also taking action which is good to see. Antonelli is talented but still a rookie. We have seen many rookie mistakes by him so far.

It's up to Russell to take advantage of those to get past him in the driver championship. He shouldn't lose the title to a rookie...

[retreat]

That last-minute effort from Russell secured pole for the Canadian GP. It was an epic moment, as he beat Kimi by just 0.068 seconds, a razor-thin margin. Even more intriguing, that 0.068 second was an exact replica of the qualifying results for the Sprint race the day before, where Russell also beat Kimi by the exact same margin. What a coincidence.

2026 F1 Canadian Grand Prix - Qualifying Results
Pos   Driver   Nat.   Team   Q1   Q2   Q3
1   George Russell   GBR   Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team   1m13.953s   1m13.079s   1m12.578s
2   Kimi Antonelli   ITA   Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team   1m13.380s   1m13.076s   1m12.646s
3   Lando Norris   GBR   McLaren Mastercard F1 Team   1m13.503s   1m13.049s   1m12.729s
4   Oscar Piastri   AUS   McLaren Mastercard F1 Team   1m13.559s   1m13.285s   1m12.781s
5   Lewis Hamilton   GBR   Scuderia Ferrari HP   1m13.767s   1m13.041s   1m12.868s
6   Max Verstappen   NED   Oracle Red Bull Racing   1m14.067s   1m13.479s   1m12.907s
7   Isack Hadjar   FRA   Oracle Red Bull Racing   1m13.654s   1m12.975s   1m12.935s
8   Charles Leclerc   MON   Scuderia Ferrari HP   1m13.825s   1m13.496s   1m12.976s
9   Arvid Lindblad   GBR   Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team   1m13.895s   1m13.548s   1m13.280s
10   Franco Colapinto   ARG   BWT Alpine F1 Team   1m14.466   1m13.857s   1m13.697s

[Distraction]

Max has stated again that he isn't thinking of continuing his F1 career if regulations don't change in a satisfying way in 2027. He wants the old cars back in short. We will see how much FIA makes changes next season.

That last-minute effort from Russell secured pole for the Canadian GP. It was an epic moment, as he beat Kimi by just 0.068 seconds, a razor-thin margin. Even more intriguing, that 0.068 second was an exact replica of the qualifying results for the Sprint race the day before, where Russell also beat Kimi by the exact same margin. What a coincidence.

Nice one by Russell, there you go!!! There is only an hour left for the race to start. I hope to see a win also by Russell. I don't believe the "equal cars" thing for teammates.

I bet Russell's car is a little bit faster. But he should show it to us as of now by getting some more race wins!

[karabiber]

Ferrari had a great weekend, in my opinion. Lewis is showing signs of a return to form, and the car is performing well. Even Leclerc, who was complaining all weekend, finished in a good position. It seems the only thing they need to join the fight at the top is a bit more engine power.

Alpine did a great job, even Gasly came from the back of the grid to score points, but the undisputed king of the weekend was Colapinto. Bearman scored points again, and there are rumors that Yuki will replace Ocon. Since Toyota is a sponsor, they want to bring in a Japanese driver, but if it were up to me, I’d bring in either a very young rising star or a very experienced driver.

[retreat]

I only watched the last 20 laps of the race, and I can say that it was quite exciting, with Hamilton and Max battling for P2 - for Kimi it was no longer necessary to talk about because he was far ahead. One thing that I can't understand is that Russell, despite having an advantage, had to retire from the race with a power unit failure, it seems he needs to fix his emotions because that will cost him in the title fight. As for McLaren, I don't know why they made such a stupid strategy that made their two drivers unable to score points. They gambled by using inter tires and it made their race a mess.

2026 F1 Canadian Grand Prix results
Pos   Driver   Nat.   Team   Laps
1   Andrea Kimi Antonelli   ITA   Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team   68
2   Lewis Hamilton   GBR   Scuderia Ferrari HP   +10.768
3   Max Verstappen   NED   Oracle Red Bull Racing   +11.276
4   Charles Leclerc   MON   Scuderia Ferrari HP   +44.151
5   Isack Hadjar   FRA   Oracle Red Bull Racing   +1 lap
6   Franco Colapinto   ARG   BWT Alpine F1 Team   +1 lap
7   Liam Lawson   NZD   Racing Bulls   +1 lap
8   Pierre Gasly   FRA   BWT Alpine F1 Team   +1 lap
9   Carlos Sainz   ESP   Atlassian Williams F1 Team   +1 lap
10   Ollie Bearman   GBR   TGR Haas F1 Team   +1 lap

The next race will be in Monaco ..

[Distraction]

I couldn't watch the race live and watched it later on. Mercedes drivers really had a great rivalry there but it was all until Russell's sad DNF. 

He just can't do anything against Antonelli for the championship race. The gap between is already 43 points now. If this is not his season then I don't know when...

Next place is Monaco. Do you guys expect Leclerc to be the king here this time? The best he could do so far in qualifying was taking the 3rd place this season. Qualifying is everything in Monaco.

[goodpunt]

Well.....my Russell win bet didn't go too well right?
Wonder if he could have fended off Antonelli!?
But none of this matters to me - a lost bet is a lost bet!

It will be interesting to see how Russell will recover from this.
Have some kind of flashback here from last season when Norris also had an engine failure in the Dutch GP and Piastri already looked primed for WDC.