The Canadian Grand Prix is back as Formula 1 has returned to Montreal for the first time since 2019 and fans should expect nothing less from this race.
With Ferrari faltering anew in Baku, Red Bull’s lead has grown even bigger both in the drivers and constructors’ standings and they might pull away even further if the Scuderia couldn’t muster a response this weekend.
Despite their recent woes, there’s still an opportunity for Ferrari to bounce back this weekend assuming they can get their act together and if their cars hold up.
On the other hand, reigning constructors champions Mercedes would want to get over their porpoising issues and they’ll look to get back on track since they’ve been solid at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve these past few years.
Continue to read on below as SBOTOP brings to you the latest Canadian Grand Prix 2022 news.
The Formula 1 title is slipping out of Ferrari’s hands
It’s been a painful stretch for the Scuderia because of their reliability issues, as shown in these past few races.
During the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc’s car suffered a power unit failure after the first 20 laps while Carlos Sainz Jr. also retired early due to a hydraulic problem, so they must fix their cars in a hurry to keep up against pacesetters Red Bull.
“Reliability is always a factor, a key factor in the championship battle along with performance,” said team principal Mattia Binotto. “I think as a team we pushed certainly a lot through the winter last year to develop the car. We proved that we are not yet fully reliable, there is still some work to be done.”
The Scuderia aren’t the only one dealing with this since their customer teams in Alfa Romeo and Haas also had the same problems. Zhou Guanyu retired for the third time in four races while Kevin Magnussen also had a DNF in Baku because of a power unit problem.
Ferrari’s qualifying form, though, has been great since Leclerc took pole in each of the last four races – suggesting that they can compete at a high level. However, that hasn’t translated lately in the Grands Prix.
After the first eight races, Ferrari now trail Red Bull by 80 points in the constructors’ championship, while Charles Leclerc has dropped to third behind Sergio Perez in the drivers’ championship and teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. slipped to fifth behind George Russell.
Porpoising issues continue to hound Mercedes
The picture of Lewis Hamilton grimacing in pain as he struggled to get out of his car in Baku symbolizes what the Silver Arrows are going through as of the moment.
Mercedes ran their W13 closer to the ground during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix to get lower downforce, but instead, it has exaggerated the bouncing on their machines which hurt Hamilton and Russell physically to a large degree.
The long straights in Montreal towards the end of the lap could worsen the effects on porpoising for Mercedes this weekend, so the FIA are planning to intervene to address such issue.
Despite their ongoing concerns, the Silver Arrows have been consistent in scoring and they only sit 38 points adrift of Ferrari in the constructors’ standings. However, they’ve neither taken pole nor win a race so far this season.
History
A lot has changed since the last Canadian Grand Prix. In the last five races before it went on a break for two seasons in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton have made Canada their personal playground.
Hamilton won pole from 2015 to 2017 and won all of them including the most recent one in 2019, while Vettel also took pole in 2018 and 2019 but only won in 2018 when he was still driving for Ferrari.
In terms of the win count, Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher have the most with seven apiece, while Nelson Piquet has the second-most with three.
What are the odds?
Since they’re the in-form team, the Canadian Grand Prix 2022 odds are backing the Red Bull duo of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez to win this weekend.
Max Verstappen is priced the highest at 1.35, while Sergio Perez is at 1.45. Meanwhile, Ferrari teammates Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. are at 1.60 and 1.85 respectively.
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton should lead the midfield once again with prices of 1.97 and 2.20. But if Ferrari will have their share of miscues once again, Mercedes can contend for the podium spots.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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