F1 pundit explains why Max Verstappen did not enjoy a conventionally huge margin over his competition in Canada

Max Verstappen won the 2023 F1 Canadian GP with a margin of over 9 seconds to second-place finisher Fernando Alonso. However, the Dutchman did not enjoy the huge victory margin that he usually gets over his rivals in 2023. F1 pundit Mark Hughes claims it is due to the nature of the track in Canada.

Verstappen's win in Montreal gave Red Bull their 100th win in the sport. In doing so, the Dutchman has now matched Ayrton Senna's total wins record - with 41. However, the two-time world champion did not seem as dominant as he has so far in 2023.

Barring the safety car-ridden race in Melbourne, the 25-year-old has won with a huge margin over his rivals. He won the race in Spain with a gap of over 23 seconds to Lewis Hamilton in P2. However, this time out, the gap was only 9 seconds to Fernando Alonso.

Mark Hughes believes that Max Verstappen's gap was reduced due to a number of factors: Aston Martin's upgrades, as well the nature of the Montreal track. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is perhaps the only track where drivers are encouraged to burn into their tires, as most were struggling to keep heat in their Pirellis.

However, given the RB19's low tire degradation, Max Verstappen had to work extra hard to keep heat in his tires over the course of the race. Relative to all the other races so far this year, Red Bull was unable to showcase its dominance in Montreal.

Max Verstappen explains why his RB19 was not as dominant in Canada

Verstappen claims his car was not as dominant in Canada due to the conditions and the nature of the track. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve requires drivers to maintain high amounts of heat in their tires. However, due to colder conditions and a 'washed' track, the Dutchman was unable to 'switch on' his tires as he usually does.

Max Verstappen's Ayrton Senna-equalling win in Canada seemed like a breeze. Yet, the colder temperatures after a rainy Saturday affected the two-time world champion's tires, leading to a less-dominant victory.

Verstappen said, as per Motorsport.com:

"We changed the car on quite a bit compared to Friday, so I didn't really know how it would feel today, but luckily it went in the right direction. I think it was quite tough today to keep the tyres in the right window. They were always running quite cold, so we had to push actually quite hard on the tyre."

With the upcoming races likely to favor the RB19 once again, it will be interesting to watch Max Verstappen's performance.