Why the Canadian Grand Prix becomes crucial for Verstappen according to Schumacher

“So the next question: Max Verstappen and Red Bull. Can he build on this? Can he, as in Imola, compete for the win again and maybe still fight for the world championship? I think for him, once again, this is a race that is very crucial for his future, for his decision. So that's also great,” Schumacher said on the Sky Sports Boxengasse podcast.

“I think it's going to be incredibly exciting this weekend,” Schumacher continued. “Why? The teams realized in Barcelona — on a track that is hard on the tires — that attacking can work.” According to the German, not only Red Bull Racing and Verstappen are facing an exciting weekend, but Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari have some catching up to do, he concluded. “That's something I'd like to see. He was frustrated — we discussed that in the last podcast. So in that sense, this is truly an important race.”

The former Formula 1 driver is also curious about McLaren's strategy and does not rule out Verstappen being hot on the heels of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. “And then Andrea Stella and McLaren — I'm also interested to see how they will approach it. On one hand, they say they treat both drivers equally, but at the same time, there might be a Red Bull right on their tail with a strong strategy.”