Canadian GP
This was honestly the best shake up of the grid so far this season. Fernando Alonso starting P2 with both Haas drivers in the top 10, while Charles Leclerc started at the back in P19, and Sergio Perez P13, it was shaping up to be an interesting race.
Race 9 Summary
June 19, 2022
Max had a blazing start, and kind of road off into the sunset, while everyone else fought for positions behind him. Let me talk about Fernando Alonso for a second… There was SO MUCH hype over him starting P2. Everyone was so sure he’d be aggressive off the start, because “what does he have to lose”. At the very least, people were expecting him to be competitive, because he’s had some pretty great starts, easily making up several positions. I believe one of the pundits even praised him for his reaction time before lights out. Well, well, well... How are those reactions, Fernando? I was not surprised in the least. Would it have been nice to see him challenge Max, sure. Not because I wanted Fernando to win or even have mild success, but because maybe, just maybe, there could have been an incident (nothing life threatening, just maybe both cars running wide or something) that could have compromised one or both of their races. Alas… Fernando was bested by Max, and Fernando was then in a tight battle with Carlos Sainz. Meanwhile, Hamilton got a decent start, and was almost completely alongside Carlos Sainz before… *checks notes* ah yes… KEVIN MAGNUSSEN (yes, that Kevin Magnussen) was alongside Hamilton. They went wheel to wheel again, and Magnussen touched Hamilton again. Unfortunately for him, he was shown the Black and Orange flag for a flappy front wing, so his race was completely compromised. I think he was last of the cars that finished, even losing out to LATIFI. I’m getting ahead of myself, but I probably won’t bring K-Mag up again, because he did nothing all race.
On lap 8, something amazing… I mean awful happened- a Red Bull Power Train lost power AGAIN. Unfortunately, it wasn’t Max… it was Sergio Perez. He pulled off the side of the track, and retired the car. His stalled car brought out a Virtual Safety Car. Verstappen and Hamilton took advantage of the VSC, and made an early pit stop on lap 10 of 70. I don’t think either team would have been able to go to the end of the race on these tires, but that was definitely a risk worth taking, and honestly, the fact that they were on the same strategy was probably for the best. You may be wondering, “where’s title contender Charles Leclerc”… By lap 10 he had already progressed from P19 to P13.
On lap 20, Mick Schumacher, who was on pace to score his first points in F1 (if everything went perfectly), also had to retire due to an engine failure. His stalled out Haas car brought out another virtual safety car that a bunch of drivers, including Carlos Sainz and George Russell, took advantage of. One driver who thought he knew better than everyone else, Fernando Alonso, decided not to pit during either VSC. While he was promoted to P2, he was on the same tires as the start of the race, and they were definitely worn out by this point. He continued losing position after position, as drivers with fresh tires were able to overtake him with ease.
But the most satisfying moment of the race came on LAP 44 (ah, serendipity) where Max Verstappen came out of the pits after taking a second pit stop, and Hamilton was able to squeeze him slightly on the pit exit, and overtake him for P2. I don’t think any Hamilton fan thought this was going to stay that way, as Max was on fresh tires immediately behind Hamilton, BUT Max was so irritated that he came out behind him, and it was so satisfying to see the troublsome W13 beat out Verstappen’s pristine Red Bull. You love to see it.
Anyways, Hamilton pitted the very next lap, so it really didn’t matter.
The final major development happened on lap 49, when Yuki Tsunoda found his Alpha Tauri in the wall. I’m still not 100% sure how he ended up crashing, but from what I gather, he came out of the pits on cold tires and other drivers reported a bump at the pit exit, so either or both of those things caused him to lock up and skid into the wall. Unfortunately for him, his race was over, and a full safety car was brought out. This was perfect for Carlos Sainz, as he was needing to pit again, but would lose too much time if he pitted under a green flag. Sainz lost P1 with the pit stop, but the safety car bunched up the pack, putting him and his fresh tires directly behind Verstappen. The track went green on lap 54, and the sprint for the finish began. Verstappen got a good jump on Sainz, but Sainz stayed within half a second of him. Hamilton and Russell were next, with Leclerc in P7. Unfortunately, the only Ferrari doing any overtaking the final 15 laps was Charles Leclerc, who made 2 really nice moves on the 2 Alpine drivers. I was actually a little nervous that he would be able to catch George in P4 at the pace he was going, but he didn’t quite have enough left to go after him.
So, the top 5 were Verstappen, Sainz, Hamilton, Russell, and Leclerc.
Stressed Evan is BACK!
This is one of many pictures I have of him anxiously watching the race. McLaren let him down, so he was hoping Carlos Sainz would at least beat Max Verstappen…
WINNERS AND LOSERS
Winners:
-Alpha Romeo
-Mercedes
Alpha Romeo- Really solid drives from both Zhou and Bottas, and no mechanical issues for the team this race. Bottas finished P7, with Zhou right behind him in P8. Well done!
Mercedes- Hamilton is back on the podium, and I’ve never been so happy for P3. George was solid again, and made up for his error in qualifying. Mercedes still have some work to do, but with some smoother tracks on the horizon, hopefully this can mean good news.
Losers:
-Alpha Tauri
-Haas
-McLaren
Alpha Tauri- Ugh… Really disappointing weekend for them. Tsunoda had to take an engine penalty, so he was starting from P20, but Gasly only managed P15. Tsunoda wrecked, and Gasly finished P14. Not a good weekend for them at all.
Haas- Really blew a good opportunity. I don’t know who Kevin Magnussen thinks he is, but he needs to chill. Stop trying to beat Hamilton, you can’t do it. Mick got unlucky this race, and had to retire. 0 points for Haas, with 1 not finishing and the other finishing last of the of the cars that finished. Yikes.
McLaren- Norris had technical issues which affected his qualifying position. It was always going to be a tough race for him, as they had to revert to an older engine, which just couldn’t give him much of a pace advantage. Ricciardo had a real opportunity to secure some solid points while his teammate struggled. However, both drivers had painfully slow pit stops, and that pretty much ruined both of their races. Ricciardo could never recover, and Norris was stuck towards the back.
Driver of the Day: I gotta give it to Zhou Guanyu. Secured P8 after a tough stretch of races.
>SILVER ARROW POINTS
A happy Lewis Hamilton :)
He’s discussing the tiny operating window for the W13 to run like anything close to a race car
>P3 for Hamilton is absolutely something to celebrate. Just because it’s not where the team wants to be (or should be), doesn’t diminish the hard work by everyone within the Mercedes team and factory.
>Another top 5 finish for George. He’s lucky, but he’s putting his wheels in the right place at the right time. Keep it up!
>How optimistic am I? Eh. I kinda got my hopes up after Barcelona this year. I am sure the team will never give up, and Hamilton and Russell will keep giving everything they have out on the track. Hopefully smoother racing surfaces will reduce the bouncing (not porpoising) the cars are experiencing now.
I honestly don’t have much to say, other than I am anxiously awaiting Silverstone.
Fave Creators:
On the Chicane: 2022 Canadian GP Race Review. “Join Paris and Marium as they discuss the F1 Grand Prix at Montreal. An extremely wet quali followed by a dry race with strategic consequences.”
Brad Philpot: Canadian GP Questions Answered (Through the Visor). “Answering your questions about the driving side of Formula 1. We discuss etiquette, driving standards - and those juicy on-track incidents from the Canadian Grand Prix. Who was at fault? Let's explore!”
Quick Stop F1: Canadian GP Review. “Nyasha and Thandie are joined by popular guest and friend of the show Jay of Wolf Pack Performance fame to break down a lively Canadian GP. We discuss what Fernando Alonso and your girlfriend after a few mimosas at lunch have in common, do George Russell and Carlos Sainz have that dawg in them and why you shouldn't follow us on LinkedIn.”
Montreal certainly had some highs and lows. I am excited to see what Silverstone holds! Until next race…
Au Revoir!