Drivers who need a strong Canadian GP

From the acerbic challenge of contesting at the street course of Baku to the wet and slippery turf of Montreal, Formula 1 is back to the famous Gilles Villeneuve land for round nine of the world championship. 

In what has been a season where Ferrari tightened the noose around Red Bull early on to ultimately Red Bull knocking the blows off Ferrari, the narrative of the ongoing fight – a feisty one at that- has changed and with great drama.

And that’s right where Canada has arrived into the equation offering us a mouthwatering prospect of seeing a back-breaking (as Lewis might call it), perhaps closely fought and unpredictable race that’ll put to test not just those with a real penchant for speed but those gifted with great race craft. 

But which drivers need a strong drive at Montreal? 

Sebastian Vettel 

The German driver was on the podium when Formula 1 last raced at Canada. Vettel, then with, Ferrari took home a fighting second, next-best only to Lewis Hamilton, with Leclerc in third. 

In so doing, the accomplished F1 racer helped Ferrari achieve a fighting second and third at Montreal. 

But this time around, Vettel, who begins his Quebec run from sixteenth on the grid, will have to do something different and desperate if he’s to salvage something worthy at the Canadian Grand Prix. 

Despite a wet qualifying session hurting the chances of several on the grid, it is a surprise how Sebastian Vettel, who finished inside the top three in the final free practice session, stooped so low as to be beginning from sixteenth on the grid. 

Charles Leclerc 

On the podium here at Montreal when he last raced in Canada, Charles Leclerc is all set to begin his 2022 Canadian Grand Prix from the back of the grid. 

It’s not a desirable position for a driver who happened to retire from the last race he was a part of, when he wasn’t at any fault. 

But in what seems destined to be another tough outing for Ferrari come the Canadian Grand Prix, there’s not an awful lot that Leclerc given his P19 might be able to do. 

Adding on further power units in his Ferrari engine that goes beyond his share of allocation this season, Leclerc, resultantly, has no option but to begin from the far end of the field. Should it rain on Sunday during the race, how well can he hold on to and how far can he go in the race will certainly form a key talking point in the race. 

Carlos Sainz 

The 2022 Canadian GP will offer an interesting sight in that a fan will follow his hero on the grid. How’s that? 

Montreal’s 70-lap run shall see Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, third on the grid, commencing his contest right behind his own racing idol- Fernando Alonso of Alpine, who starts from second. 

But for Sainz, the race will be just as important as it will be for his Ferrari team as, where it stands at the moment, he is the only car from the Scuderia stable fighting for points. 

A podium finish is exactly what Carlos will target. Though for that to actually happen, it will essentially mean contesting two titans of the grid in Verstappen and Alonso. 

And it won’t be any easy especially since there’ll be Hamilton chasing Sainz from fourth. 

But for a driver who really hasn’t had great recent form barring a podium at Monaco, a strong finish at Canada is vital from the Spaniard’s perspective. 

Lewis Hamilton 

For a true hero of racing to say that each time he takes to the grid, much like others, there are always chances of him and the rest suffering from minor concussions given the horrifying porpoising problem, Lewis has managed a strong qualifying result given his P4. 

Can he now find a way and squeeze past his contestants to find a podium finish at Canada? That shall be one of the key things to watch out for. 

Though from his perspective, Hamilton, race winner at the famous venue the last that F1 battled here, what’ll be most interesting would be to see whether he can thwart his teammate, who begins from eighth on the grid. 

For where 2022 is concerned, that really hasn’t been the case as for most of the races, newcomer George Russell has managed to hold the edge over the seven-time world champion. 

Hamilton, who claimed a P4 at Baku, should take heart from a fighting recent result and should ideally be motivated to move further into the podium places. But will that actually happen?

Mick Schumacher 

Mick urgently needs some points. Mick must find a way to score some. Mick has to score points now for the sake of his own future in the sport. How often have we heard all or any of these statements of truth bordering on a precarious situation this season for the up-and-coming German driver? 

Truth be told, Schumacher, who begins his Canadian challenge from sixth on the grid has on Sunday an ideal opportunity to shut down his critics and hit some form. For it is about time! 

A P6 start to any Grand Prix anywhere on the face of the earth isn’t an entirely awful place from which to begin and Schumacher hence would love to capitalize on a grid position that sees him holding the edge even on the lines of Ocon, Russell, and Ricciardo – very promising names on the F1 grid. 

Source – F1 Chronicle