Formula 1 Focus: Mercedes join the mix as mayhem reigns in Montreal

Well, that was fun, wasn't it? 

The Canadian Grand Prix has always been one of my favourites on the calendar, partly because the famous race of 2011 was one that really cemented my love affair with F1, and as was the case back then, a rainy Montreal treated us to some marvellous mayhem this year.

While the roles were reversed with a Red Bull beating a McLaren to the win this time around rather than vice-versa, it wasn't a Max Verstappen win that we've grown so tired of seeing, with the Dutchman having to produce his brilliant best to claim victory. 

Here are my main takeaways from round nine of the Formula 1 season. 

Mercedes upgrades make it a four-way fight

Life was already getting harder for Red Bull with Ferrari and McLaren closing in, and not even the Italian team having an off-weekend eased the pressure on the reigning champions in round nine, because in Canada, the Silver Arrows joined the hunt.

Mercedes brought a new front wing to Montreal, one that they hoped would stabilise their temperamental car and make it easier to find the right setup, and boy did it work. George Russell claimed pole position and he and teammate Lewis Hamilton were the two fastest drivers for most of the weekend.

Russell could well have won the race if not for a few mistakes, but Toto Wolff and co will be leaving Canada in a good mood nonetheless, because they finally have machinery capable of fighting for wins again.

It's too soon to say whether the upgraded car has enough pace to consistently challenge the frontrunners but it does at least now seem stable enough to allow its drivers to get the best out of it, and with those drivers being two as quick as Hamilton and Russell, that may be enough for them to join the fight at the front.

Mercedes' true pace will soon become clear, because the varied layout and familiar nature - a huge amount of testing has taken place there over the years - of the next circuit on the calendar makes it the place where the true pecking order emerges. Bring on Barcelona.

Perez's renewal a real risk for Red Bull

I was hugely surprised by Red Bull's announcement that Sergio Perez would remain their second driver for 2025, and how things panned out in Canada showed why. Perez is the ideal teammate for Verstappen when the team have a dominant car as he's not fast enough to get in the Dutchman's way, but the car isn't dominant anymore, which makes his lack of pace a problem.

Red Bull's two challengers in Montreal both had two drivers at the front and McLaren in particular made the most of that. When changing conditions made it unclear when the right time to change tyres was, they were able to bring one in early and risk keeping the other out, ensuring that one of them would be on the right strategy. That gave them the lead of the race.

With Perez at the back after a disastrous qualifying, Red Bull didn't have that luxury, and it probably would've cost them the win if not for a Safety Car that played into their hands. Luck saved them this time, but luck alone isn't enough to rely on when you have three teams - all with two top drivers - closing in on you.

So, why did Red Bull keep Perez instead of getting a top second driver of their own? For me, it looks like Christian Horner just wanted to make a statement in his civil war with Helmut Marko and the Austrian side of the team. Marko has apparently long wanted to replace the Mexican, and by giving Checo a new deal instead, Horner has made it clear he calls the shots.

The civil war has already lost the team Adrian Newey, and with it now seemingly preventing them from getting a lineup as strong as their rivals, it could yet cost them a lot more.

A riled-up Ricciardo responds in style

Red Bull's decision to keep Perez would've been a blow for Daniel Ricciardo, who was hoping to replace the Mexican, and at the start of the weekend in Canada, former F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve then decided to rub salt in the wounds in his work as a TV pundit, launching a scathing attack on the Aussie.

“Why is he still in F1?” Villeneuve said on Sky Sports. “We’re hearing the same thing for the last five years - 'We have to make the car better for him, poor him.' No. You're in F1... If you can’t cut it, go home... I think his image has kept him in F1 more than his actual results.”

The Canadian didn't only suggest Ricciardo was past his best but claimed that the 34-year-old has never been a very good driver. I personally think he couldn't be more wrong in that regard, so it was oh-so-satisfying to see the RB man respond by producing one of his best weekends in a long time.

After qualifying in fifth, less than two tenths off pole, he then kept his cool in a chaotic race, bouncing back after receiving a harsh five-second penalty for a false start caused by a mechanical issue to finish eighth, higher than anyone in comparable machinery. 

It was his best weekend of the season, one that showed that the driver who was once objectively one of the very best on the grid - regardless of what Villeneuve claims - is still in there. Whether he can ever get back to those race-winning heights is unclear now that there's no space at Red Bull, but he just has to let his driving do the talking and hope that an opportunity will come his way.