F1 leader Max Verstappen aims for second consecutive Canadian Grand Prix win

MONTREAL –

Formula One leader Max Verstappen can win the Canadian Grand Prix for a second consecutive year on Sunday afternoon at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Verstappen will start at the pole position after finishing first in Saturday’s qualifying session.

The 25-year-old Dutch driver is the two-time reigning world champion and is well on his way to earning a third, having won five of seven races this season, including the last three.

Veteran Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso starts in second and seven-time Canadian Grand Prix winner Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes begins in third.

Montreal-born Lance Stroll will open his race all the way back in 16th after finishing 13th in qualifying and receiving a three-place grid penalty.

Stroll, the lone Canadian on the grid, has never finished higher than ninth in his home Grand Prix.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 18, 2023.