DHL Fastest Lap Award: FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX HEINEKEN DU CANADA 2018

Max Verstappen sets the DHL Fastest Lap in the Canadian Grand Prix and the fastest time recorded under race conditions in Montreal since 2004.

Max Verstappen sets DHL Fastest Lap in Canada

Max Verstappen set the DHL Fastest Lap of the Canadian Grand Prix, just as he had done two weeks previously in Monaco. The Red Bull driver clocked a scorching time of 1:13.864 minutes on the 65th lap, which was ultimately one tenth of a second faster than the best lap of race winner Sebastian Vettel.

In the closing stages of the race, Verstappen was attempting to hunt down Mercedes man Valtteri Bottas and claim the runner-up spot for himself. Verstappen almost succeeded but had to settle for third place in the end after crossing the line approximately one second behind. It was nonetheless the second podium of the campaign for the Dutchman.

"When you feel confident with the car then you can do a good job, and during the race I think we managed the car in the best way possible on the hypersoft tyres. In this kind of race you have to manage a lot, fuel first of all, then also the tyres, you have the pressure from behind, you don’t want to let them into your DRS but one point I can see that I was pulling away quite comfortably so then I was challenging Valtteri at the end", Verstappen said.

In a twist of circumstances, the DHL Fastest Lap could so easily have gone to Verstappen’s team-mate Daniel Ricciardo, who went around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on the 70th and final lap in a time of 1:13.835 minutes. However, the checkered flag had mistakenly been waved one lap to soon, which meant that Ricciardo’s time was not officially scored. Ironically, the Australian ended much lower down the DHL Fastest Lap timesheet in fifth place.

Sebastian Vettel had been in dominant form throughout the whole of the race. Starting from pole position, the Ferrari driver celebrated the 50th Grand Prix victory of his career, which was also enough to take him to the top of the championship table. Because Vettel comfortably led from lights to flag, there was no reason for him to challenge for the DHL Fastest Lap, and he consequently missed out on the prestigious Grand Slam.

Fastest laps: FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX HEINEKEN DU CANADA 2018

• 01 Max Verstappen (Red Bull): 1:13.864 - on lap 65
• 02 Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari): 1:13.964 - on lap 57
• 03 Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes): 1:13.992 - on lap 51
• 04 Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari): 1:14.075 - on lap 59
• 05 Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull): 1:14.159 - on lap 59
• 06 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes): 1:14.183 - on lap 66
• 07 Sergio Pérez (Force India): 1:15.100 - on lap 64
• 08 Kevin Magnussen (Haas): 1:15.401 - on lap 65
• 09 Romain Grosjean (Haas): 1:15.470 - on lap 56
• 10 Charles Leclerc (Sauber): 1:15.480 - on lap 65

History: DHL Fastest Laps in the FORMULA 1 CANADIAN GRAND PRIX

Max Verstappen recorded the third fastest lap ever in Montreal, bested only by Rubens Barrichello and Michael Schumacher in the equivalent 2004 fixture. Barrichello clocked a time of 1:13.622 minutes, which is still the lap record at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, and his Ferrari team-mate Schumacher was only eight thousandths slower.

In this years’ quali, however, a new absolute track record was set. Sebastian Vettel booked pole position in a time of 1:10.764 minutes – faster than anyone else who has ever driven on the 4.36km circuit on the Île Notre-Dame.

Ricciardo tops the DHL Fastest Lap Award table

Daniel Ricciardo continues to lead the overall standings of the DHL Fastest Lap Award with a total of three best times. However, Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas are hot on the heels of the Red Bull man, with two DHL Fastest Laps each.