AWS Grand Prix du Canada
Location: Montreal, Canada
Course: Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
Course Length: 4.36km
Laps: 70
Race Preview
The Grand Prix of Canada is on tap this week after Charles Leclerc won a processional Monaco Grand Prix last time out. That race became a formality after a red flag at the start enabled the front of the field to change tires and run nearly the entirety of the race without an additional trip to pit road. As a result, each of the top 10 drivers finished the same spot they started with very little action occurring in the race itself. Leclerc's victory, and Max Verstappen's sixth-place finish, cut the defending champion's points lead to 31 with two-thirds of the season left to run. Everyone will be hoping for a more competitive affair this week at Canada, though the tight track isn't exactly a mecca of passing. Verstappen won the last two Montreal races after it returned to the calendar following a three-year hiatus due to the global pandemic. Lewis Hamilton leads the field with seven victories and will be looking to continue closing the gap in what is becoming a three-horse race for the championship due to McLaren's step up in performance. The true gap between the four front running teams should start to show with this week's race, and it looks as though Ferrari and McLaren should be legitimate contenders for regular race victories.
Key Stats at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
- Races: 42
- Winners from pole: 21
- Winners from top-5 starters: 35
- Winners from top-10 starters: 42
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 0
- Fastest race: 207.165kph
Previous 10 Canadian Grand Prix Winners
2023 - Max Verstappen
2022 - Max Verstappen
2019 - Lewis Hamilton
2018 - Sebastian Vettel
2017 - Lewis Hamilton
2016 - Lewis Hamilton
2015 - Lewis Hamilton
2014 - Daniel Ricciardo
2013 - Sebastian Vettel
2012 - Lewis Hamilton
The Canadian Grand Prix has been held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve since 1978. The course is situated on a small island in the St. Lawrence river and named for hometown hero Villeneuve who won the first grand prix held on it. Its long straights make it a place for relatively low downforce settings, but its tight and slow turns brings the average speed down. The track is a narrow one with little runoff room, which means drivers stepping over the line generally suffer contact with a barrier. The heavy braking zones do open the opportunity for passing, and there are three DRS zones that help to encourage that. The key to keeping the competition behind is getting maximum grip out of the tight turns to ensure maximum straight-line speed into the next braking zone. The lowest any driver has ever started and won this race was in 1981 when Jacques Laffite started 10th, and the winner has come from the front row the last seven races. Yet again, qualifying will play a pivotal role in setting up a potential victory on Sunday.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS for the AWS Grand Prix du Canada
Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Max Verstappen - $15,000
Charles Leclerc - $11,600
Lando Norris - $11,000
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Sergio Perez - $9,000
Lewis Hamilton - $7,200
Fernando Alonso - $6,400
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Yuki Tsunoda - $5,400
Nico Hulkenberg - $4,600
Alex Albon - $4,400
DraftKings Constructor Values
Red Bull Racing - $12,300
McLaren - $11,800
Ferrari - $11,500
Formula 1 DFS Picks for the AWS Grand Prix du Canada
Team Captain - Lando Norris - $16,500
Lewis Hamilton - $7,200
Fernando Alonso - $6,400
Nico Hulkenberg - $4,600
Zhou Guanyu - $3,400
Constructor - McLaren - $11,800
The upgrades that McLaren unveiled in Miami that led to the first victory for Lando Norris have kept the team at the front of the grid. At Monaco, Norris qualified and finished fourth and was outpaced by teammate Oscar Piastri. However, the McLaren strength is evident and with a little more room to race this weekend, fantasy players should expect Norris to outperform again. His best finish at this track from three starts was 13th last season, but this weekend is a whole new ballgame with the quickness of his current car. Canada has been a great place for Lewis Hamilton. The Mercedes driver has seven victories at the track and is another driver that should flex that muscle more than he was able to last time out at Monaco. Hamilton hasn't finished lower than fifth at this race since 2015 and is starting to get the most of his team's recent upgrades, which could make this a weekend he should be shooting for the top five if not a podium finish. Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso is also a previous Canada winner. He finished second in last year's race and was one of the few drivers to move forward from where he started in Monaco. The Aston Martin doesn't have the same speed it had last season, but Alonso should still be capable of scoring a points finish for rosters this week. Next up, Nico Hulkenberg and Zhou Guanyu complete the driver selections. Both have been leading their teams this season and could be in position to score points if attrition is high on Sunday. Zhou finished eighth in this race in 2022 and moved up four places from the start to finish 16th last season, Hulkenberg's best finish at the track was fifth, and he finished seventh in both 2018 and 2019.
The constructor to consider this week is McLaren. Monaco is a unique circuit, and McLaren showed it has the measure of Red Bull more so than Ferrari at both Miami and Imola. This weekend's race marks more of a return to circuits like those, and Norris and Piastri should be expected to make the most of their machines this weekend. Their ability to do so will heavily influence what potential they may have for the following race in Spain, too.
Formula 1 Betting Picks for the AWS Grand Prix du Canada
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
Race Winner - Max Verstappen -300, Charles Leclerc +120, Lando Norris +135
Sprint Winning Constructor - Red Bull Racing -300, Ferrari +400, McLaren +450
Podium Finish - Carlos Sainz Jr. +165, Sergio Perez +225
Odds for the coming week's race at Canada are still suggesting Max Verstappen is the favorite, but the movement is not yet reflective of the steps forward from both Ferrari and McLaren. They may still be the favorite to win this week at Canada, but wagerers can get significantly more attractive returns by accepting a little more risk. Red Bull and Verstappen have shown weakness by giving up two victories to McLaren and Ferrari from the last three races, and that trend suggests they may be susceptible again at Canada. The team will not stop working to recover, but at the moment it appears as though Ferrari and McLaren have just as must potential to win as does Red Bull. For those reasons, either Leclerc or Norris make attractive alternatives to Verstappen at Canada. Norris and McLaren may be the most compelling given their pace at Miami and Imola, though. Similarly, odds for a podium finish from Sainz or Perez are nice. Perez has had his challenges this season, but those willing to take him get better odds for doing so. However, Sainz has been quite consistent and should be in position to fight for another podium finish again this week. Either choice would boost wagerers payouts versus going with the still stingy odds for Red Bull and Verstappen.
