There are three of them. Three drivers other than Max Verstappen who have managed to win a Grand Prix this season. Let’s talk a little about Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr….

There is not a single driver on the grid who is as unanimous as Lando Norris.

In his 110th career start, the McLaren driver claimed his first triumph in Miami. He took advantage of a rare error from Max Verstappen and a well-timed safety car to finish 7 seconds ahead of the three-time world champion.

All the drivers, without exception, were happy for their counterparts. Max Verstappen, who is not usually smiling when things are not going his way, appeared serene and sincerely delighted for his Australian opponent. “If I am beaten, it is great that it is by Lando,” he said. “He deserves it. He has worked for this for a long time, and this will be his first of many victories.”

Norris is very popular in the paddock and within the community of Formula 1 fans. Smiling and joking, he is appreciated for his endearing personality. On track, the 24-year-old driver has shown remarkable confidence this season, aboard a car that can compete with the best. We also saw him threaten a Verstappen short of grip at the end of the race at Imola.

Norris, like McLaren, has reason to be pleased with the work carried out in recent years. Last year, neither he nor teammate Oscar Piastri were in the top 10 among drivers after eight races. Quite the opposite of this year.

Norris arrives in Canada with 113 points, good for third among drivers. He is ahead of Carlos Sainz fil and Sergio Pérez. Let’s see what he can do on the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit, where he has never done better than 13th place…

“I realized I had two more laps to go before the end and I was having trouble seeing the end of the tunnel because I had tears in my eyes. »

Charles Leclerc has two big childhood dreams: to win his home Grand Prix in Monaco and to be F1 world champion. He achieved the first on May 26, when he led the race from start to finish in Monte Carlo. As for the second, it remains accessible, even if very difficult to achieve.

The least we can say is that Leclerc was ripe for a victory. He also started in the lead in 2021 and 2022 in Monaco, but technical problems as well as questionable decisions from his team deprived him of victory. This time he was perfect on a narrow circuit where the slightest mistake can be very costly.

Last year, after eight races, Leclerc was seventh in the drivers’ championship with 54 points. This season he is second with 138 points. Only 31 points separate him from Max Verstappen.

Among the manufacturers, the race is also more exciting than it has been in the last two years. Ferrari now ranks second, 24 points behind Red Bull.

But back to Leclerc. The 26-year-old driver had an impeccable weekend in Monaco which, according to his team leader Fred Vasseur, will give him even more confidence for the rest of the season, having already shown great consistency. It would be hasty to say that he threatens Verstappen for the championship, but there are still plenty of races on the calendar…

Carlos Sainz Jr. is, in a way, Ferrari’s unloved driver. He will be replaced by Lewis Hamilton from 2025.

The Spaniard, it should be remembered, was the only driver other than Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez to win a race last season. This year he was the first to achieve the feat – Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc did it a few weeks later.

Sainz has managed four podiums in seven races this season – he missed the one in Saudi Arabia due to appendicitis. At the start of the campaign, Leclerc himself admitted that his teammate was doing “a better job” than him.

Still, it is Leclerc who signed a new agreement with Ferrari, while Sainz Jr. finds himself empty-handed for next season. He nevertheless has many options on the table for the rest of his career in F1.

The name of the man who turns 30 in September has been linked to Sauber and Williams. Nothing has been confirmed yet though, and rumors are flying all over the place. But whoever gets Sainz will be able to rub their hands with satisfaction.