Verstappen needs to end his M sequence in Montreal

Max Verstappen was dominant in Montreal a year ago, leading every lap from pole, but he faces a fight for a third successive Canadian Grand Prix victory this weekend.

There have been three different winners in the last three races and, after winning 19 of 22 in the most one-sided Formula One season last year, Red Bull's triple world champion has now failed to win three of the last six.

Curiously, street circuits in cities starting with the letter M are the ones to have brought no joy - Melbourne, Miami and Monaco - and Verstappen needs to end that sequence.

Ferrari, winners in Australia with Carlos Sainz and Monaco with Charles Leclerc, will fancy their chances in Montreal at a circuit named after their late great Gilles Villeneuve.

Verstappen has not been beaten in two successive races since July 2022, winning in Japan after Australia and at Imola after Miami, but he identified running over kerbs as a weakness in Monaco.

Race nine of the season in Montreal, where riding over the kerbs is a fast track to gaining lap time, could see more of the same.

"We've had this problem since 2022, but of course for the last two years we had a car advantage and it gets masked a little bit as we gain a bit in the corners where the kerbs and the bumps are not the limitation," Verstappen said in Monaco.

"But with everyone catching up, naturally when you're not improving your weakest point you get found out..."

Team mate Sergio Perez, who crashed out of the Monaco race, has something to celebrate already with Red Bull announcing his two-year contract extension earlier in the week.

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur predicted another close battle in Canada between the Red Bulls and the red cars, as well as McLaren.

Ferrari are now only 24 points behind