Hill Predicts Canada Podium With Two Drivers Ahead Of Verstappen

F1
Wednesday, 05 June 2024 at 18:00
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Formula 1 World Champion Damon Hill shared his prediction of the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix as he suggested this will be another race not won by Max Verstappen.
Red Bull is still generally considered to have the fastest car. However, this season isn't nearly as dominant as the last one, and Verstappen has "only" won five out of eight races so far.
It is important to note that two of his three losses came after McLaren and Ferrari introduced upgrades, which might suggest Red Bull lost a lot of ground to their competitors recently.
Speaking ahead of the weekend in Canada, Helmut Marko (Red Bull's motorsport advisor) was a bit unsure with his prediction. He suggested tracks with a lot of kerb-riding (such as Monaco, Imola, or Circuit Gilles Villeneuve) don't tend to suit his team.
When 1996 World Champion Damon Hill assessed the situation speaking on the F1 Nation Podcast, he acknowledged it would be another challenging circuit for the Durchman, but he expects him back on the podium.
"I think Max [Verstappen] will be back [on the podium], even with his curb-hopping issues. Weather, obviously, discount that factor, it will be more difficult to win this for him."
In terms of who would be there alongside the triple World Champion, Hill proposed McLaren. McLaren and its drivers have had exceptional form recently, which they will carry into this weekend as well.
"McLaren, let's say Oscar [Piastri] is buoyed and has a little bit of an extra motivation having seen his teammate win one and he knew that he was on the front row at Imola and it's a similar kind of track from demands of the car. 
"Let's say Oscar can do it. What about an all-McLaren front row in Canada? It can happen, it's not impossible!"
To clarify the order, Tom Clakson (podcast host) told the 1996 World Champion: "So, your podium is Oscar, from Lando, from Max, that's how I've interpreted that."
Hill then confirmed this order, adding it might create a few headaches for McLaren in terms of how they will manage their drivers, but at the end of the day, that would be a good worry to have.
"Yeah, that’s going to be a headache for McLaren isn’t it, working out a strategy for those two if they’re both leading, but it’s a new problem."