F1 Canada GP: Verstappen wins ahead of Sainz
19th June 2022Red Bull’s Max Verstappen secured a commanding victory at the Canadian Grand Prix despite being placed under pressure by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in the latter stages.
How the race unfolded…
It was a great start from Verstappen as the Dutchman bolted off the line and remained ahead of Alpine’s Fernando Alonso into turn one. As the pack raced down into the hairpin, the top five remained unchanged from the starting grid: Verstappen, Alonso, Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and Kevin Magnussen (Haas).
However, Haas’ Mick Schumacher lost two places in the opening lap as he was overtaken by Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and Mercedes’ George Russell later on, when the two drivers went around the turn 10 hairpin.
After the opening laps, Alonso quickly lost P2 to Sainz. However, the Spaniard was soon put under pressure by the Mercedes of Hamilton.
After the Haas Danish driver made contact with Hamilton, in the opening lap, his front wing endplate just hung onto the main structure. The stewards soon brought out the black and orange flag, which ordered the Dane back into the pit lane to replace his front wing.
On lap eight, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez became the first driver to retire from the race as the Mexican reported a problem with his power unit. The Virtual Safety Car was soon deployed to clear away the #11 Red Bull.
Under the VSC, out of the front four drivers, only Verstappen and Hamilton pitted while Sainz and Alonso continued on their way. As a result, the order was as follows; Sainz, Alonso, Verstappen and Russell. The VSC finally ended two laps later and the race finally got back underway as Sainz sped towards the start/finish line to start lap 10.
Another VSC was deployed on lap 20 as the Haas of Schumacher was found on the run off area at turn eight, after the German’s car died on him. In anticipation for a VSC, Russell pitted and managed to return to the track behind Hamilton.
The race got back underway on lap 21 while Sainz ventured into the pit lane. Fortunately, the Spaniard returned to the track ahead of Hamilton who raced around turn two while Verstappen regained the lead.
On lap 42, Leclerc finally pitted from the race 5.3 dropped out of the points and returned the track behind McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo who was in P11.
At the end of lap 43, Verstappen was recalled to the pit lane – and allowed Sainz to regain the lead – as the Dutch world champion fitted another set of Hard tyres. However, the defending world champion returned to the track behind Hamilton. But, his 2021 title rival didn’t put up a fight when the #1 Red Bull activated his DRS down the back straight.
On the following lap, Hamilton pitted for another set of hard tyres as his teammate, Russell, pitted again a lap later.
Alpha Tauri’s Yuki Tsunoda was the third driver to retire from the race as he lost control of his car into turn two and into the barrier. As a result, the full safety car was deployed for the first time at the end of lap 49. In a bid to optimise a cheap stop, Sainz pitted just as the safety car was brought out but the Spaniard returned to the track behind Verstappen.
The race finally got back underway on lap 55 as the safety car peeled its way back into the pit lane, a lap after the lapped cars were allowed to pass the safety car. As the Dutchman’s right front tyre made contact with the first kerb, at the final chicane, the #1 Red Bull bolted away to get the race back underway ahead of Sainz and Hamilton.
Despite his best efforts, Sainz couldn’t steal the race lead away from Verstappen who looked to be in total control of the race.
Podium:
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull
- Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
That’s it for the article: F1 Canada GP: Verstappen wins ahead of Sainz! What was your favourite moment from the race? Let us know in the comments!
Read more Formula 1 here!
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- F1 Canadian GP: Fernando Alonso tops wet final practice
- F1 Canada GP: Charles Leclerc to start at back of grid
- F1 Canadian GP: Charles Leclerc takes 10-place grid drop
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
