It should have been Lando Norris standing on the top step of the podium as his slim world championship hopes caught fire during a pulsating Canadian Grand Prix full of excitement and danger in the rain.
But it was not to be, the intervention of a safety car and the slow response of his McLaren team, condemning the Brit to an unprecedented second place behind the unmistakable Max Verstappen, who else?
But the most poignant memories – the ones that should have secured victory – were of Norris dancing through the first showers as nimbly as Gene Kelly, putting his superlative McLaren into the lead as if twirling his umbrella as he passed , past Verstappen and Mercedes. poolman George Russell.
Norris is clearly in a confident mood, in the form of his life, and he quickly accelerated into a five-second lead from the moment he came to the front on lap 21 of 70. Nothing was ever easy in these conditions: rain, or the threat of it, was on the sidelines for the entire race, ready to give a boost to certainty.
Then, and this is where he turned on Norris, Logan Sargeant spun for a second time in Turn 4. The Williams pirouetter grazed the wall and ended up at a 90-degree angle to the front. The safety car came out.
Max Verstappen emerged victorious on Sunday during a gripping Canadian Grand Prix
Verstappen (left) took first place after a battle in the rain on Sunday afternoon
The Red Bull driver was pictured celebrating his breathtaking victory on the podium in Monreal
All of Norris’s rivals came in to be fitted with new intermediate tires on a track where it was no longer raining, but was nowhere near dry enough for slicks. The leader stayed away. A big mistake.
Yes, the McLaren talents had less time to work out their boxing plan, but whichever way you look at it, their wily Sally cost Norris a likely win.
Norris entered the lap later and ended up in third place, Verstappen and Russell ahead of him.
“It was wild,” Norris said of the race. ‘It was chaos; it was eventful. I had great pace, but the safety car got me over.
‘The first stint I had a lead of 10, 12 seconds, pulling away a second per lap. It went beautifully, but it’s Montreal, so something has to come into play. The safety car helped me a few weeks ago in Miami, so I’m not complaining. We will keep fighting.’
Not that the 24-year-old was on the ground even after the safety car setback on lap 26. Another potentially crucial moment: on lap 46 his rivals had switched to slicks, but for Norris. He still set the fastest times and was briefly in the lead again.
The quirky strategy paid off on this occasion and he built up almost enough margin to get in and be re-shod himself a few laps later. But not enough of one and he finished in second place. Yes, Russell passed him, but Norris bravely regained second place.
“Focus, George, focus,” was Toto Wolff’s instruction to Russell.
Lando Norris, who finished second, described Sunday’s race as ‘wild’ and ‘chaos’
George Russell, who started the day on pole position, finished in third place
It was such a dramatic weekend at this fantastic Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. And luckily the weather was erratic during practice, qualifying and the race. One moment a gray frown, the next moment a tear-filled sky, the next moment a smile of sunshine.
Because the rain was of a more mocking nature than the pelting, it provided opportunities for heroes and mistakes. Cue Ferrari as an example of the latter. Despite winning in Monaco a fortnight earlier through Charles Leclerc, they only qualified 11th and 12th. And then it got even worse.
Leclerc’s engine was acting up. He took a long pause to pay attention to it. This put him on the back burner, but worse still, he was ridiculously put on slicks just as a second downpour fell. He looked like Bambi there. “Just try to keep him on the track and we’ll be quick afterwards,” he was told.
There was laughter in the press room at that pearl of wisdom. Obviously he was called up again, and the humiliation piled up until he retired.
As for Carlos Sainz in the second Ferrari, he spun later, collecting a helpless Alex Albon – impressive for Williams – in the process.
The image of Sainz’s red-faced machine sliding across the grass like a drunken lawnmower was about right.
Ferrari endured a nightmare in Canada as both of their drivers were unable to finish the race
As for Verstappen: never mind that his Red Bull would not be suitable for the curbs of Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. He’s always ready with the gelatin when the opportunity arises to blow the doors off. He finished 3.8 seconds ahead of Norris.
Russell, a little nervous at times but fighting bravely the whole time, finished third. Mercedes’ first podium of the season, aided by a front wing upgrade, was secured with a superb late pass to Lewis Hamilton, who started seventh and was himself impressive on a favorite track in conditions where he is a master of the past.
A great sporting afternoon – the kind that threatens to give Formula 1 a good name.