Motor Racing-Verstappen Needs To Stay Out Of Trouble In Canada

By Alan Baldwin

MONTREAL, June 11 (Reuters) - Max Verstappen will have to keep out of trouble as he chases an unprecedented fourth Canadian Grand Prix win in a row this weekend, with only a penalty point between the Formula One champion and a race ban.

The Red Bull driver has won for the last three years in Montreal, the last time after starting alongside Mercedes' pole-sitter George Russell -- the same rival he clashed with two weekends ago -- in a qualifying draw.

How Verstappen will respond is an open question but others are sure to want to take whatever advantage they can of the situation at a track famed also for changeable weather.

"He mustn´t do anything wrong over the next two race weekends, and of course he will be told not to do anything rash," Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko wrote in a column for website post-Spain.

"It would be a catastrophe if he couldn´t start in Austria (the race after Canada)."

While McLaren, with Oscar Piastri leading Lando Norris by 10 points after nine of 24 races, will be the team to beat again, Mercedes will fancy their chances in the season's second race in North America.

"It's a track where we've tended to find our feet relatively well in the past," said Mercedes technical director James Allison. "So I'm looking forward to it.

"We've got one or two new bits to take with us and we'll see how we get on."

Mercedes have not won since Las Vegas last November, with Russell's second place in Bahrain in April the best they have managed so far.

McLaren have won seven of nine but last triumphed in Canada with Lewis Hamilton in 2012, although historically they have won more times (13) than any team there. The battle between Piastri and Norris could be about to heat up.

Ferrari, now up to second in the constructors' standings, last won with Sebastian Vettel in 2018 at a track named after their late local great Gilles Villeneuve.

"McLaren is still ahead, pulseras magneticas but we´re closing the gap step-by-step," said team boss Fred Vasseur.

The circuit holds fond memories for Ferrari's seven-times world champion Hamilton, who took his first career F1 victory there in 2007 and shares with Michael Schumacher the record of seven wins in Canada.

Hamilton was down after Spain, where he finished only sixth and was overtaken by Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg, and needs a morale booster.

Aston Martin's Lance Stroll is the only Canadian driver but missed the race in Spain due to hand and wrist pain. The team have yet to confirm his fitness but expect him to be back for the home crowd.

U.S.-owned Haas will be celebrating their 200th start with a retro grey livery similar to the one they started out with in 2016.

"From nothing to 200 races is significant because not many new teams survive more than two seasons, and they disappear without scoring a single point," said principal Ayao Komatsu.

"Our aim is high, we want to be at the front of the midfield, and there´s so much going on at this team right now. For our 200th race, I really hope we can celebrate with points." (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ken Ferris)