After every Formula 1 race, driver Jeroen Bleekemolen shares his observations in an exclusive column for Formule1.nl. Who or what caught his attention, what went well, and what needs to change? This time after the Canadian Grand Prix: about the mistakes at McLaren and answering the question of whether Kimi Antonelli is almost as good as Max Verstappen.
A Grand Prix with, for the first time, a podium without a McLaren driver. Surprising? Yes. But the reason not so much. It’s the result of mistakes made by the drivers. They make them too often at McLaren, and this time was no exception. Take Lando Norris with his error, his crash. But he also made a mistake in qualifying on Saturday. If he hadn’t, he would have been there with a better lap, right at the front of the grid. These are the things… They shouldn’t happen. The same applies to Piastri, who had to concede to Russell and Verstappen in qualifying; McLaren is too often outperformed.
Zak Brown, as CEO, has once said that he believes McLaren has the best driver duo. I understand why he sees it that way. But I don’t agree with him. Two very good drivers, yes, that’s what Norris and Piastri are, no matter what. But they need to make fewer mistakes.
However, this doesn’t mean that I suddenly think we’re going to have a completely different, new title fight. I would still name Piastri as the champion. But this weekend shows how minimal the differences can be and how unpredictable it sometimes is. Verstappen, who once again does very well, impressive. And the Mercedes drivers… Russell with pole and victory, Antonelli with his first podium. And that while it was very warm and nobody saw this performance from Mercedes coming. Remarkable.
It could well be a harbinger of more unpredictable things this season. Who knows! I can see Antonelli winning a race, for example, I would really wish it for him. A talent, a nice guy, that’s my impression. And good. Very good.
As good as Verstappen, I don’t know. He’s not that good yet, at least. Maybe Antonelli can become that, but Verstappen was so impressive and fast from the start… Antonelli might need to gain a bit more or longer experience, learn a bit more. But eventually, he’ll get there. We’re going to have a lot of fun with that. This season and in the coming years.
