Max Verstappen contacted his team during the 11th lap of the Montreal event to inform them that he had collided with a bird while exiting one of the corners.
Fortunately, Verstappen’s car did not suffer significant damage, and he did not experience any subsequent decrease in performance.
However, during the post-race inspections when Red Bull brought the RB19 back to the garage, they discovered that the remnants of the bird had become lodged around the front right brake duct.
Team principal Christian Horner commented, “I believe the most significant incident Max encountered was hitting that bird, which spent half the race stuck behind the front right brake duct.”
Verstappen himself noticed the remains after stepping out of the car at the end of the race. He shared with Sky, “It was still attached to my car when I came in; it didn’t look great! I also feel sorry for the mechanic who had to remove it.”
Maintaining Performance Under Control
Max Verstappen on the podium in first position for Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Jake Grant / F1 Flow Images
Despite the minor incident involving the bird, Verstappen’s main challenge during the Canadian GP seemed to be managing tire temperatures. Due to the cooler conditions, all drivers struggled to reach the optimal operating range for their tires.
Horner added, “They had difficulty generating temperature in the car, and it’s challenging to generate energy on a track with only six corners and long straights.”
“We observed that lap times varied considerably for all drivers at certain points,” he continued. “However, Max was able to break away from the DRS and establish a comfortable lead before the safety car period. He then extended that lead by 10 seconds.”
“This circuit is quite unique, so it’s truly encouraging to have overcome this challenge as well,” Horner concluded.
Verstappen stated that the race wasn’t solely about managing tire degradation but rather about optimizing tire performance.
“Usually, it’s all about tire management, right?” he remarked. “But today, it was definitely more about pushing. Lap times fluctuated significantly at times. Sometimes you couldn’t push to the limit because you didn’t know what to expect. On the hard tires, it was quite challenging for me. On the mediums, I aimed to increase the gap.”
“Of course, at one point, when you see there are 10-15 laps remaining and you have a comfortable lead, you don’t want to take unnecessary risks. It’s not necessarily full-throttle pushing, but you can’t relax too much either, or else your tire temperature drops,” Verstappen explained.
Additional Reading:
- Verstappen Delighted to Match Senna’s 41 F1 Victories: “Incredible”
- Hamilton Admits Aston Martin Has an Edge over Mercedes in the Canadian GP
- Russell Suspects Canadian GP Crash Isn’t the Sole Reason for Retirement
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about bird collision
Q: What happened during the Canadian GP involving Verstappen’s F1 car?
A: Verstappen’s F1 car collided with a bird during the race. Although the car suffered minor damage, Verstappen continued without any significant performance loss and dominated the race.
More about bird collision
- Verstappen: “Incredible” to match Senna’s tally of 41 F1 victories
- Hamilton: Aston Martin ‘a bit of a step ahead’ of Mercedes in Canadian GP
- Russell suspects F1 Canadian GP crash not to blame for retirement
