Lewis Hamilton claims second podium of season as Max Verstappen wins Canadian Grand Prix
Max Verstappen wins Canadian Grand Prix, with Carlos Sainz just missing out in second, while Lewis Hamilton rounds out podium
Verstappen's team-mate Sergio Pérez forced to retire from race
Role of Wolff’s former adviser adds fuel to fire of ‘porpoising’ row
After the battering his body had taken in a violently misbehaving car, Lewis Hamilton finally achieved a result that could heal his wounded pride.
Yes, it was only third place and yes, he fell another 10 points behind runaway championship leader Max Verstappen, but after months of torrid struggle he had cause to savour every drop of satisfaction from this day in the Canadian sunshine.
A week earlier, he had crawled out of his cockpit like a man who had just gone 12 rounds with Mike Tyson, ground down by Mercedes’ bouncing problems. There in Baku, he had looked all of his 37 years. But here on Montréal’s Île Notre-Dame he betrayed not a trace of discomfort from his back, waving to the vast galleries as if instantly rejuvenated. “I’m back to being young,” he said with a grin.
This was the 184th podium finish of Hamilton’s stunning career, but one of the most significant in terms of restoring his appetite for the fight. For months, the seven-time world champion has shown little optimism about his car’s potential. Even in practice on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, he had been a diagram of dejection, declaring his Mercedes “undriveable” and suggesting it was “getting worse”. But as these 70 laps unfolded far more encouragingly than he had dared expect, he was brimful of confidence once more. “We’ve got something here,” he told Pete Bonnington, his race engineer. “Let’s keep pushing.”
For all his euphoria, a measure of perspective is needed. As team principal Toto Wolff pointed out: “One swallow doesn’t make a summer. It’s easy to say, ‘Yeah, we are back.’ But we need to keep working.”
Up the road, Verstappen was imperious, extending his lead in the title race to 46 points over team-mate Sergio Pérez. Whether in thwarting Fernando Alonso in the run down to turn one or in fending off a frantic Carlos Sainz Jnr in the closing stages, the Dutchman drove in a manner befitting a reigning champion.
For Hamilton, any title prospect has long since evaporated. But he was relieved simply to have a car that made him feel competitive again. Hamilton has toiled to make an impression of late, coming out on the wrong side of several close skirmishes with team-mate George Russell. “There were a lot of races that worked against him,” Wolff said. “It was not his fault, just bad luck. So, this is good to see.”
Hamilton, the recipient of the loudest cheer from the crowd, said: “It’s quite overwhelming to get this third place. It has been such a battle this year with the car, but we continue to stay vigilant, focused, never giving up, and that’s something I’m proud of. We’re getting closer.”
Truly, it was the most Hamilton had smiled all season. After the miseries of Baku, he was wreathed in smiles at this return to the podium.
He knew he could rely on the co-operation of Russell, said to be under instruction not to make life difficult for Hamilton here. But Russell, having beaten him at seven races in succession, was never in a realistic position to attack.
For all his supremacy up front, Verstappen was not without his troubles, lamenting even at half-distance that he was losing grip on his second set of tyres. There was added anxiety about reliability, with Pérez having slithered out of the race on lap nine with engine failure.
On older tyres than the hard-chasing Sainz, Verstappen pitted earlier than most for fresh rubber, finding himself released straight into the path of Hamilton. “Why didn’t you make sure I came out ahead,” he snapped. “We didn’t have the pace,” came the reply from the pit wall. Ultimately, it proved little hindrance, with Verstappen blasting past within a lap, a vivid illustration of the pace difference between two drivers who duelled until the bitter end last season.
Sainz finally had cause for hope when, courtesy of Yuki Tsunoda’s late crash, the safety car was deployed to prevent Verstappen streaking off into the sunset. The Spaniard threw everything he had at the challenge, but was powerless to reel in an opponent of such ferocity.
“The safety car didn’t help,” Verstappen said. “Following is tricky around here but I could see him pushing; charging. It was a tough race, I was expecting to have a bit more pace. But the last few laps were fun. It’s great to be able to push a Formula One car to the limit rather than just saving your tyres.”
It was doubly entertaining given that Verstappen briefly lost radio contact. “It was one-way traffic – he could hear us, but we couldn’t hear him. I guess he didn’t need to hear us too much,” team principal Christian Horner said. “We’ve put a wonderful run together and it’s great to be leading both championships. Max is in the form of his life.”
Sainz admitted he was working as hard as possible to snatch the win, coming perilously close to Montréal’s “wall of champions” on a few occasions, but Verstappen in this mood would not be denied. While Charles Leclerc was impressive in salvaging fifth despite starting 19th, Verstappen is only growing in self-belief. For Hamilton, any thought of title No 8 must wait. But this moment was, in the circumstances, a precious tonic.
Canadian Grand Prix: As it happened
10:19 PM
Thank you for following along
Oliver Brown's report from Montreal is now above the line.
10:05 PM
More from Verstappen
Max Verstappen thinks the Ferrari had more pace than Red Bull in today's Canadian Grand Prix 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/g62lkt2Yw1
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 19, 2022
10:04 PM
Guenther Steiner speaks
Not what we wanted today.
Kevin's race was over when he had to change front wing.
Mick was fighting really hard, and was getting into the groove, but something on the [power unit] let got and that was his day done.
09:57 PM
Schumacher, disappointed, looks ahead to Silverstone
"I feel like we built the cake but we just didn’t get to put the frosting on it.”
We feel you, Mick.#HaasF1 #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/BzaEU9oKk1— Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) June 19, 2022
09:50 PM
Leclerc speaks
It was frustrating day, actually. The last part was nice, but the very first part I was stuck in a DRS train and then in the middle of the race, I was stuck behind Esteban as he was on much fresher tyres.
It was just about being patient and thinking about the end of the race.
The end was quite fun, I had to be a bit more aggressive to at least get some points. And we finished fifth in the end, which is the best, considering everything that happened.
09:47 PM
Thoughts?
19th ↗️ 5th 👏
Charles Leclerc is the Canadian Grand Prix Driver of the Day 👊 pic.twitter.com/PDR58ecgdu— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 19, 2022
Verstappen held off Sainz masterfully, but Leclerc's back of the pack rush up the field was exactly what was needed.
09:43 PM
More from Hamilton
It's been such a difficult year, for me personally, and in the car.
Qualifying yesterday was emotional, and back at the garage we were like, wow, this is beautiful for us, we've been working so hard.
Then to have a strong race today gives me so much hope and confidence that we can move forward.
There is potential in this car, it's just not where we want it to be.
09:38 PM
Alonso speaks
With the safety car, we were unlucky. When we decided to box it was just before the safety car ended so we stayed out. Ten seconds more it was enough to make the stop.
The biggest problem was in lap 20, I had engine problems, with the battery system, I was losing eight tenths.
It was a very difficult race and the engine problems on my car is very frustrating. The positive is the car was very fast. Without engine problems we would be P3 in front of Lewis.
09:35 PM
Verstappen, Hamilton and Sainz share a podium for the third time in their careers
09:32 PM
This is Verstappen's 26th win
Which moves him into ninth place on the Formula 1 all-time winners list, going ahead of racing icon Niki Lauda.
At the top? Lewis Hamilton, with an improbable 103. Verstappen and Hamilton share a grid this season with third-place Vettel, with 53 wins to his name, and sixth-place Alonso, with 32.
09:28 PM
Certainly Hamilton wasn't suffering as he has been
"It was definitely bumpy, but we weren't porpoising!"
George Russell says the Mercedes porpoising wasn't an issue in the Canadian Grand Prix 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/ZnURlLKac2— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 19, 2022
09:24 PM
Both Red Bull and Mercedes have eyes on Silverstone
Christian Horner on Mercedes' chances:
Mercedes' pace at the end of the race was strong as well and they could well be a factor at [Silverstone].
It's going to be an interesting one.
Toto Wolff's thoughts on the upcoming race:
If we are able to run the car low, then we can be competitive
But after Barcelona, we have been cheering that we are back in the championship fight, and here we go, so let's see.
An exercise in expectation management from Wolff.
09:20 PM
Max Verstappen speaks
I was giving it everything, but so was Carlos.
He was pushing, charging, pushing, charging, naturally it's easier to charge with DRS.
I had fun today.
09:15 PM
Not the dream weekend
... that it seemed at the start for Haas, with a DNF and plum-last from 5th and 6th.
By contrast, Aston Martin were able to pull off an impressive reversal of fortune, which will please Stroll, in the points at his home Grand Prix.
09:12 PM
Results in full
Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:36.217
Carlos Sainz Ferrari +0.993
Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +7.006
George Russell Mercedes +12.313
Charles Leclerc Ferrari +15.168
Esteban Ocon Alpine +23.890
Fernando Alonso Alpine +24.945
Valterri Bottas Alfa Romeo +25.247
Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo +26.952
Lance Stroll Aston Martin +38.222
Daniel Ricciardo McLaren +43.047
Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin +44.245
Alexander Albon Williams +44.893
Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri +45.183
Lando Norris McLaren +52.145
Nicholas Latifi Williams +59.978
Kevin Magnussen Haas +68.180
Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri DNF
Mick Schumacher Haas DNF
Sergio Perez Red Bull DNF
09:05 PM
Christian Horner speaks to Sky Sports F1
"Max just couldn't break the DRS!" 🔨
Christian Horner says that Carlos Sainz put a lot of pressure on Max Verstappen in the final few laps of the Canadian Grand Prix 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/ZjUyupcr8B— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 19, 2022
09:04 PM
Verstappen wins his 150th race in Formula 1
09:00 PM
A strong weekend for Mercedes
09:00 PM
Russell is the only driver who has gained points at every race this season
#GR63 so far this season...
🇧🇭 P4
🇸🇦 P5
🇦🇺 P3
🇮🇹 P4
🇺🇸 P5
🇪🇸 P3
🇲🇨 P5
🇦🇿 P3
🇨🇦 P4
Mr. Consistency.#CanadianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/IGjkgRJDBO— Silverstone (@SilverstoneUK) June 19, 2022
08:56 PM
The updated standings
08:55 PM
Another extremely disappointed driver this weekend
08:53 PM
And Hamilton was delighted starting fourth on the grid!
LEWIS: "It's quite overwhelming to get this third place, it's been such a battle this year, but we continue to stay so vigilant and focused...
"They're a little bit too fast for us at the moment but we're getting closer, so we gotta keep pushing!"#CanadianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/lD7rCISekY— Formula 1 (@F1) June 19, 2022
08:52 PM
Lewis Hamilton speaks
It's been such a battle this year, with the car and with the team, but we continue to stay focused.
Thank you to everyone that's here and back at the factory.
On the car:
Our pace was quite good, particularly in the second phase.
Honestly I'm ecstatic. I didn't expect this coming into the weekend.
He thanks the crowd, noting the specialness of getting his second podium of the season where he won his first Grand Prix, to huge cheers.
He's then asked about his back - it's fine:
I'm back to being young!
08:50 PM
Carlos Sainz speaks
I was pushing flat out. I was pushing everything, with the battery, I tried everything to pass Max but today we just didn't have enough pace.
The positive thing is that we were quicker, we were fastest all race, but we just couldn't overtake.
I'm particularly happy with the race pace, and the way we were able to put pressure on Max.
08:44 PM
Final positions
VER
SAI
HAM
RUS
LEC
OCO
ALO
BOT
ZHO
STR
RIC
VET
ALB
GAS
NOR
LAT
MAG
TSU
MSC
PER
08:43 PM
Phew
What an end to the race - deeply frustrating for Sainz, who must have felt like things were finally going his way. For Alonso too, who ends the race in 7th after a brilliant front row start.
08:40 PM
MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
Verstappen is coping with the pressure but Sainz keeps it up, not yielding an inch. It's going to come down to the final metres.
Until - Verstappen hits the strait and storms down and away from Sainz to WIN THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX.
08:38 PM
Lap 69/70
Bottas and Zhou tustle to get closer to Alonso, but he holds them off, just a few seconds ahead.
The porpoising really isn't helping Sainz here, but going into the final lap, he's less than half a second behind Verstappen.
08:37 PM
Lap 68/70
Verstappen remains out of reach, and it feels like Sainz has lost his chance to overcome the mighty Red Bull.
Two laps to go.
08:36 PM
As it stands
VER
SAI
HAM
RUS
LEC
OCO
ALO
BOT
ZHO
STR
08:36 PM
Lap 67/70
Sainz still can't get a handle on Verstappen, just under a second behind him, setting up a mouthwatering conclusion. Not sure what could stop Verstappen's coolheadedness - he looks unflappable in the face of the Ferrari's pursuit.
08:35 PM
Lap 66/70
Alonso's Alpine is struggling with speed, and his team advises him to hold position: just behind his teammate Ocon, who might be more vulnerable to Bottas in 8th than the Spaniard.
08:33 PM
Lap 65/70
Verstappen, dare I say, is getting a good measure of the Ferrari and how to keep Sainz at bay. Sainz is running out of time to push past the Red Bull, not managing it for yet another lap.
Can he do it in the final five laps?
08:33 PM
Lap 64/70
Leclerc begins to work on Russell in 4th, another success story of the latest safety car, but the Mercedes (both of them) have been strong and fluid today.
08:31 PM
Lap 63/70
Stroll gains on Ricciardo, in the final points position, less than half a second behind. Sainz is looking affected by a little of the porpoising that Ferrari has been experiencing, helmet wobbling like a bobblehead.
08:29 PM
Lap 62/70
Nothing like a safety car to get the blood pumping. Sainz continues to struggle to catch Verstappen, keeping cool and driving ferociously.
Hamilton is sitting pretty in third, with Russell in fourth.
08:28 PM
Lap 61/70
Leclerc just outfoxes Ocon on the hairpin to hold 5th place, and Verstappen is having to work increasingly hard to keep Sainz, quicker at the moment, back in second.
08:27 PM
Lap 60/70
Leclerc goes too straight on the chicane. He's won't be pulled up by the stewards, as he rights himself, but he loses the place back to Alonso. But Alonso, Alpine hints, is struggling with his engine.
Leclerc regains the potion, before moving past Ocon too to move into 5th.
08:26 PM
Lap 59/70
Sainz wrestles with Verstappen, still unable to overtake him but 7secs behind, then 5secs.
Leclerc pushes past Alonso into 6th, and the Alpine doesn't complain too much.
Sainz gains until he's 3secs behind, but he still can't attack him on the corner.
08:24 PM
Lap 58/70
Russell has taken a bigger gap ahead of Ocon, but Ocon and Alonso, in 5th and 6th, and hesitant about muscling ahead, lest it release Leclerc in 7th.
08:23 PM
Lap 57/70
Zhou moves into 9th place using DRS to shake off Vettel, and Stroll can get past Magnussen into 12th.
Sainz makes gains, and there's just half a car length between them. Sainz still can't unleash DRS, but he looks dangerous, with Red Bull under threat.
08:22 PM
Lap 56/70 - standings after the safety car
VER
SAI
HAM
RUS
OCO
ALO
LEC
BOT
VET
ZHOU
Leclerc makes gains on Alonso, but without DRS, he can't overtake the Spaniard.
08:20 PM
Lap 55/70 - racing resumes
Green means go! Verstappen leads, hotly followed by Sainz, with Alonso hot on the heels of Ocon in 5th.
Leclerc gets closer and closer to Alonso, and the lapped cars are racing here too, Stroll moving up on Magnussen in 12th.
Verstappen manages to put 8secs between himself and the Ferrari, but Sainz has box-fresh tyres by comparison.
Vettel is under threat from Zhou, but Vettel can hold him off at top speed and keep hold of 9th place.
08:18 PM
Lap 54/70 - SAFETY CAR ENDING
This is the final lap for the safety car, with Sainz only a second behind Verstappen.
08:17 PM
Lap 53/70 - SAFETY CAR
As the safety car prepares to go in, the lapped cars are being asked to overtake. We'll be racing again soon.
Sainz edges closer and closer to Verstappen, ready to unleash.
08:15 PM
Lap 52/70 - SAFETY CAR
A look at Tsunoda, eating wall. He's walked back to the pits.
SAFETY CAR (LAP 49/70)
Tsunoda comes out of the pits and hits the wall#CanadianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/Jk6uHdZQSW— Formula 1 (@F1) June 19, 2022
Over the radio, Mercedes tell Hamilton that he's almost the fastest out there, and that after the SC is retired, he should be good to push on.
08:13 PM
Lap 51/70 - SAFETY CAR
On the replay, Tsunoda appeared to lock up, spinning into the grass and out of the race.
The cars continue to wend their way behind the safety car, lights blinking. This couldn't have played out better for Sainz, chasing his first Grand Prix.
08:11 PM
The earlier Verstappen-Hamilton mini-battle
Lewis Hamilton gets the better of Max Verstappen as the Red Bull driver comes out of the pits! 😲 pic.twitter.com/sMjWEvwJAM
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 19, 2022
08:10 PM
Lap 50/70 - SAFETY CAR
Verstappen takes the lead, but Sainz's fresher tyres should trouble the world champion as the pack shuffles together under the safety car.
As things stand:
VER
SAI
HAM
RUS
OCO
ALO
BOT
LEC
ZHOU
RIC
08:09 PM
Lap 49/70 - YELLOW FLAG and SAFETY CAR
Tsunoda has spun out, and is embedded in the wall. He edges out of the car, out of the race but untroubled.
Full safety car comes out, and this is magic for Sainz, who pits.
08:07 PM
Lap 48/70
Verstappen gets the instruction to push all the way through, the wear on his previous tyres not showing any issue with a flat out attack.
Stroll pits, taking his first of the race, and it's mediums to see out the home Grand Prix.
08:06 PM
Lap 47/70
As the safety car window opens, Sainz wills one to appear over his radio.
Leclerc moves elegantly past Zhou just ahead of turn one to move up to 9th.
08:05 PM
As it stands
SAI
VER
HAM
RUS
OCO
ALO
BOT
STR
ZHO
LEC
08:04 PM
Lap 46/70
Verstappen settings whipping fastest lap as Russell pits, and Sainz continues to lead 9secs ahead of the Red Bull.
08:03 PM
Lap 45/70
With fresh tyres, Leclerc can finally overtake, someone - anyone - and this time it's Tsunoda, as he moves up to 10th.
08:02 PM
Lap 44/70
Verstappen comes out as Hamilton approaches, and Hamilton manages to get about half a foot ahead of the emerging Red Bull to go ahead of him.
Verstappen is in third, and Hamilton 2nd! Verstappen radios his team to turn the air blue.
But Hamilton knows he hasn't the power, and pits, ceding the position to Verstappen.
08:01 PM
Lap 43/70
What an unlucky weekend for Leclerc, first with the penalties, and then with this strategy. Verstappen comes in to pit, and Leclerc attempts to edge Ricciardo and Tsunoda, but he doesn't gain a position.
08:00 PM
Lap 42/70
Finally Leclerc can pit. This feels like a relief, even for me, but my goodness, that is a very slow pitstop - about three seconds slower than he might have anticipated.
He comes out into 12th.
07:58 PM
Lap 41/70
Sainz is now 6.4secs off the lead, and Russell is super-quick in pursuit of Sainz's Ferrari. No news on Verstappen's earlier gripping issues.
07:57 PM
Lap 40/70
Leclerc is still pushing Ocon, but he just can't make it, Ocon scooting ahead to keep the slippy Ferrari at bay.
07:56 PM
Lap 39/70
Latifi now suffers a woe-begotten pitstop, wasting too long in the Williams pits. He sits dead last, as it stands, with Gasly in 17th, and Norris just ahead of him.
07:54 PM
Lap 38/70
Alonso, in 7th place, could be in striking distance of a beleaguered Leclerc in four laps, putting him under pressure to defend rather than attack, which certainly won't help the Monegasque driver.
07:53 PM
Lap 37/70
Russell puts his heart into closing the gap to his teammate, as Magnussen moves up to 14th, pushing back Albon.
Sainz reduces the gap to Verstappen, still runaway leader, to 7secs
Kachow ⚡️
Carlos Sainz currently holds the DHL Fastest Lap in his pursuit of the lead#CanadianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/KTcSbFLyfB— Formula 1 (@F1) June 19, 2022
07:52 PM
Lap 36/70
Leclerc is stuck behind Ocon, telling his team that he can't overtake. What will happen when he does go in to pit? Likely coming out as far down as 14th.
07:50 PM
Lap 35/70
Stroll targets Bottas, moving forward to march on 8th place.
Hamilton is flying, which feels incredible so soon after the Baku nightmare.
07:49 PM
Lap 34/70
Less than half a second separates Stroll, Zhou, Tsunoda and Ricciardo but the Canadian doesn't yield the position.
07:48 PM
Lap 33/70
Verstappen, at the front, radios his team about losing tyre grip, but yields no speed to Sainz.
07:46 PM
Lap 32/70
Leclerc is getting closer and closer to Ocon, but he just doesn't have enough traction coming out of the turn to overtake the French driver.
Stroll now has to defend from Zhou, Tsunoda, and Ricciardo, all battling for 10th.
07:45 PM
Lap 31/70
Stroll can hold off Zhou, who has been gaining on him down the main strait, but as with Schumacher, he can't quite move past him.
07:44 PM
As it stands
VER
SAI
HAM
RUS
OCO
LEC
ALO
BOT
STR
ZHO
07:44 PM
Lap 30/70
Sainz sneaks the fastest lap from Verstappen, but can't make significant gains on the leader. What he can do is move further from Hamilton.
Ocon makes his belated pitstop, and one wonders when Leclerc's time will come.
07:42 PM
Lap 29/70
Alonso finally pits, getting onto the hard tyre, and comes out into 7th. Leclerc, in 6th, radios his team and tells them that he has no grip. It's visible, and he may have to pit sooner, rather than later.
07:41 PM
Lap 28/70
Ocon keeps a comfortable distance from the advancing Leclerc, taking advantage of the fresh air in front of him that Leclerc so badly needs.
Alpine tell Alonso to go as long as possible without pitting, but Alonso mentions some graining which could be a concern.
07:40 PM
Lap 27/70
Russell is gaining fast on Alonso, still yet to pit, and it is yet to be seen whether this strategy pays off for Alpine.
Leclerc, who also hasn't stopped, decides to take on Ocon, and is gaining on him, but can't manage to overtake on the hairpin.
07:38 PM
Lap 26/70
Mercedes are looking a fierce prospect today, far less troubled by the dreaded porpoising, with Hamilton keeping close to Sainz.
Verstappen is 8secs ahead of Sainz.
07:37 PM
Lap 25/70
Tsunoda has also improved, up to 11th from 20th, and holding of Ricciardo in 12th.
07:36 PM
Lap 24/70
Alonso is pushed back again, by Hamilton, into 4th, with Hamilton now less than 3secs behind Sainz.
After a start at the back, Stroll moves up to 9th, fighting past Zhou, and manages to hold the position. Zhou complains over his radio that he doesn't have enough speed.
07:35 PM
Lap 23/70
McLaren have a frightful time of Norris' pit, as Norris has to wait before setting up with the mechanics, and then the right tyres aren't ready. A huge amount of time wasted, and he emerges into 17th.
07:33 PM
Lap 22/70
Leclerc spins past Bottas, wending his way through the chicane, to get into 7th place, moving closer and closer to the pack leaders.
Alonso is gazumped by Sainz, activating DRS and breezing past him.
LAP 22/70
Sainz passes Alonso for a second time, and regains second ✌️#CanadianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/KxiSkNuXJA— Formula 1 (@F1) June 19, 2022
07:32 PM
Lap 21/70
Verstappen is able to hold his position and heads into first place, with Alonso behind. Verstappen sets the fastest lap, again, and Leclerc moves into 8th.
No pitting for Alonso still, making him one of the last, if not the last, to do so. Anticipating another VSC?
07:31 PM
Lap 20/70
Rather than an issue with the overtake, it's a mechanical problem which has taken out Magnussen.
Dreadful luck for the Haas driver.
A number of drivers head into the pit as they need to, and the VSC heads in.
07:30 PM
Lap 20 - as it stands
SAI
VER
ALO
HAM
RUS
BOT
OCO
LEC
STR
ZHO
07:29 PM
Lap 19/70 - another Virtual Safety Car
Going to overtake Schumacher, Zhou manages it, but spins off, and there's a need for another VSC.
07:27 PM
Lap 18/70
Bottas is wheel to wheel with Albon approaching the chicane, and he eases past him, before Leclerc adds insult to injury and overtakes Albon moments later, to move up to 11th.
Sainz keeps the lead, Verstappen 4secs behind.
07:26 PM
Lap 17/70
Albon, Bottas, and Leclerc are cigarette-paper close, but Albon continues to lead the pack in 10th, two cars' distance from Bottas - are closer. A third of a second separates the three of them.
07:25 PM
Lap 16/70
Leclerc continues to be frustrated by Bottas, who is chasing Albon, not able to spring out of the hairpins quick enough to muscle past the Alfa Romeo.
Zhou is still pressing Schumacher, to no avail.
07:24 PM
Lap 15/70
Verstappen sets the fastest lap, gaining on Alonso, who is still in second after holding that position rather than pitting. Russell is in 4th, without pitting, his teammate snapping at his heels, with fresh tyres.
Verstappen dispatches Alonso with ease in a long DRS zone.
07:22 PM
Lap 14/70
That is Red Bull's fourth retirement of the season, which must feel painful for Perez, Verstappen's main competitor as it as stands.
Leclerc moves into 12th, without having pitted, and now eyes Bottas, who activates DRS to try and shake him off.
Sainz continues to lead, with Alonso 4secs off his leading time.
07:21 PM
Lap 13/70
Zhou activates DRS to try and get past Schumacher, but again, his plan is foiled.
07:20 PM
Lap 12/70
Hamilton passes Ocon, and having got the pitstop out of the way, is ideally poised to take 5th. Verstappen is setting tremendous times, racing up the field on his new hard tyres, in third, hunting down Alonso.
07:19 PM
Lap 11/70
Leclerc hasn't been helped by the VSC, and stays in 13th. Zhou goes to push Schumacher out of position, where he's sat for most of the race so far. Schumacher sneaks away and holds 7th.
07:17 PM
Lap 10/70
Verstappen stops, as does Hamilton, before a number of drivers join them. Staying out, Sainz moves into first, and Alonso leads, both prioritising race position over the pitstop.
VSC car goes in, and we're green for go.
07:15 PM
Lap 9/70 - Virtual Safety Car
Drivers will hold their position, reducing their speed, and try and sneak a quick pit stop. Here's the standings at Lap 9:
VER
SAI
ALO
HAM
RUS
OCO
MSC
ZHO
RIC
ALB
07:14 PM
Lap 8/70 - Perez is out of the race!
Magnussen finally in the pits, and Ocon takes advantage, moving up to 6th, ahead of Magnussen's teammate in 7th.
Magnussen out, comes out behind Gasly.
But Perez is out! He's lost the engine, he says, over the radio, and now we'll see a safety car.
Sergio Perez is OUT of the Canadian Grand Prix due to a mechanical failure ❌
We have a Virtual Safety Car ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/dfuWftP4ct— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 19, 2022
07:12 PM
Lap 7/70
The medium tyres are looking a little flakier than anticipated, with more and more drivers heading into the pits. Could be looking at a two-stop race for most.
Leclerc chases down Norris to gain 14th, but Norris is available to activate DRS and slip out of his grasp.
07:11 PM
Lap 6/70
Sainz does the fastest lap of the race, as Magnussen is forced to pit under the black and orange flag. Gasly and Vettel have pitted.
Kevin Magnussen has been given a black & orange flag after due to this damage to his front wing ⬛🟧 pic.twitter.com/gpoHp06T4a
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 19, 2022
07:10 PM
Lap 5/70
Sainz is having to work hard to keep the lead over Alonso and Hamilton, let alone try and catch Verstappen, who is streaking ahead 3.3secs in front of Sainz's Ferrari.
Zhou, having a great weekend so far, has moved ahead in 9th, and Russell continues moving up the field to 5th. Magnussen still yet to pit.
07:08 PM
Lap 4/70
Small front wing damage to Magnussen's Haas, and he will have to pit as it moves to the outside. Hamilton is building on Alonso, now in third place after being displaced by Sainz. Leclerc moves in 16th, beginning his charge.
07:07 PM
Lap 3/70 - Sainz moves into second
Ocon gains to sixth, followed by Russell. Gasly falls three places to 18th, and Leclerc can only get as far up as 17th.
Magnussen has had a feisty start with Hamilton, and is only 2secs behind his Mercedes. They had contact in the first lap, and Hamilton was lucky to avoid a puncture as they went wheel to wheel.
07:05 PM
Lights out! CANADIAN GRAND PRIX RETURNS - Verstappen leads by 1sec
Verstappen gets the better start, and Alonso has to fend off both Sainz and Hamilton, who looks to go ahead of the Spainard.
Ocon heads off Schumacher, but Magnussen is pushing to build upon that great opening start for Haas.
07:02 PM
Formation lap
Verstappen out in front, the majority start in mediums, save for Bottas, Perez, Stroll, Norris and Leclerc, all on hards.
A slow start from those behind him, and with Verstappen going quickly, he'll have to reduce his speed so he doesn't sit on the grid for too long, losing tyre temperature.
06:51 PM
Last minute optimisations
A look at Charles Leclerc's Ferrari shows that a small crack on the righthand side of the body is held together with... what looks like Sellotape.
Whatever works.
Charles Leclerc's Ferrari appears to have damage to his car repaired using tape 🔧 pic.twitter.com/slCzDwIgni
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 19, 2022
06:47 PM
Less than fifteen minutes to go
Sky Sports F1 speaks to Fernando Alonso about his prospects:
Let's see. depends on the first fifty meters if we can attack Max, but if not, we can focus on Carlos and the Mercedes behind him.
We are out of position, and realistically we fight for P4 or P5
06:41 PM
Predictions?
Alonso holding or snatching the race from Verstappen would be fantastic to watch, but it's impossible to write off the current world champion on his day. How far can Leclerc make it up the field? Can he go all the way? It isn't impossible, but...
06:31 PM
Guenther Steiner talks to Sky Sports F1
'They try to divide the team. They're not trying to get the best out of Mick." ❌
Guenther Steiner says that the German media are putting pressure on Mick Schumacher, and denies any rift between him and the driver pic.twitter.com/0xInSiznFU— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 19, 2022
06:28 PM
Pre-race reading: Why FIA's safety intervention leaves Mercedes with more problems but Red Bull sitting pretty
It stands to reason that Mercedes will need to compromise the most and sacrifice the greatest level of performance of any team to fall within the new technical directive.
Their battle to return to the front looks a lot more difficult.
Luke Slater looks at the gridwide implications of FIA shock ruling on porpoising.
06:24 PM
A reminder of our F1 newsletter - The Racing Line
Perfectly poised to drop into your inbox every Monday after each race day, without fail. Sign up for it here.
06:18 PM
Pirelli's recommended tyre strategy
Drivers have the hard C3, medium C4 and soft C5 tyres at their disposal today, with Pirelli advocating for a medium-hard one-stop around lap 24. A soft-hard one-stop comes a close second, but drivers could struggle with the low-grip track, yesterday's rain having washed away the grain from Friday's first two practice sessions.
Here’s how those box-fresh race tyre sets could work into the strategy…
📦📦📦
Which one would you pick? 🤔#F1 #CanadianGP #Fit4F1 #Formula1 #Pirelli #Pirelli150 @F1 pic.twitter.com/P4o84kXmDC— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) June 19, 2022
06:14 PM
A freshly-painted tribute at the track which bears the Canadian legend's name
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) June 19, 2022
Villeneuve won the first Canadian Grand Prix held on the Notre Dame Island track, which was re-named in his honour months after his death in 1982.
06:08 PM
Weather check
As you can see, the sky could hardly be more blue, and there's a 0% chance of rain forecast for the duration of the race. Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is an entirely different prospect today - can Leclerc capitalise on fine conditions to stage a comeback?
06:00 PM
Just over an hour to go
... until lights out at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Why not wet your appetite with some pre-race reading, courtesy of Oliver Brown? He talks to Christian Horner about his toxic, personal feud with Toto Wolff.
05:54 PM
The highs and lows of qualifying
In the Alfa Romeo, Zhou Guanyu had a terrific qualifying day yesterday, reaching Q3 for the first time in his Formula 1 career.
On the other end of the spectrum, it was a dire showing from Aston Martin: Sebastian Vettel came into qualifiers after a strong showing in FP3, second-fastest behind Alonso. Lance Stroll will have wanted much more in front of a home crowd, usually happiest in the wet.
05:51 PM
Only Alpine and Alfa Romeo start the race unmodified
Parts and parameters changed or replaced by teams ahead of today's race 🔧👇 pic.twitter.com/d4wBYVTcse
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 19, 2022
05:48 PM
Will there be significant movement today?
05:46 PM
A thought-provoking record
Today's leader, Max Verstappen has the highest percentage of wins from pole position in Formula 1 history, taking 10 wins from the 15 poles of his career.
The only other driver lining up today who comes close - Fernando Alonso, who has 14 wins from 22 pole position starts.
05:40 PM
Here are the top 10 drivers in the standings ahead of today's race
05:38 PM
Can Haas go the distance today?
Haas had a sensational qualifying session yesterday, with Kevin Magnussen getting a fifth place start, just ahead of his teammate Mick Schumacher, who in sixth, has his highest ever Formula 1 grid position in today's race.
Ebullient Team Principal Guenther Steiner was pleased, as you would expect, with his drivers, and spoke to Sky Sports F1 after qualifying:
The whole team did a great job, stayed calm. In rain, in these conditions, we know we are not bad, so we just got it home with both cars this time.
It seems like when it's cold, we can get the tyres to work. In FP3 we couldn't get the intermediates to work but we made some changes and it seem like it worked. Pretty happy for the whole team.
First of all, we need to finish because we didn't do that in the last race -well, at least with one car didn't - so we need to get to the finish and we just need to try and keep the positions.
Or even better, if something happens in front of us! But first of all if we can hold these positions, I will be more than happy at this moment tomorrow.
05:35 PM
How the drivers line up today
#F1 - Final Starting Grid for the 2022 #CanadianGP 🇨🇦 ⬇ pic.twitter.com/kHHxskylMj
— FIA (@fia) June 19, 2022
With penalties applied, Yuki Tsunoda and Leclerc slide to the back of the grid.
05:33 PM
A reminder of yesterday's qualifying classifications, in full
Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1:21.299
Fernando Alonso (Spa) Alpine 1:21.944
Carlos Sainz Jr. (Spa) Ferrari 1:22.096
Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:22.891
Kevin Magnussen (Den) Haas F1 1:22.960
Mick Schumacher (Ger) Haas F1 1:23.356
Esteban Ocon (Fra) Alpine 1:23.529
George Russell (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:23.557
Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) McLaren 1:23.749
Zhou Guanyu (Chn) Alfa Romeo Racing 1:24.030
Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Alfa Romeo Racing 1:26.788
Alexander Albon (Tha) Williams 1:26.858
Sergio Perez (Mex) Red Bull 1:33.127
Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren No Time Set
Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari No Time Set
Pierre Gasly (Fra) Scuderia AlphaTauri 1:34.492
Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Aston Martin 1:34.512
Lance Stroll (Can) Aston Martin 1:35.532
Nicholas Latifi (Can) Williams 1:35.660
Yuki Tsunoda (Jpn) Scuderia AlphaTauri 1:36.575
03:40 PM
Good afternoon
Hello and welcome to Telegraph Sport's live coverage of today's 2022 Canadian Grand Prix.
The sun is beating down on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in an abrupt change from yesterday's wet and wild qualifiers, the unpredictability of which yielded tantalising prospects ahead of today's race.
Sergio Perez, who came second in Baku just last week and was looking to outqualify his World Champion teammate for the third consecutive race? Splashed out in Q2 and starts from 13th. Charles Leclerc, championship leader only a few weeks prior? Penalised for two modifications to his Ferrari, the Monegasque driver starts from the back of the grid. And Fernando Alonso, winner of the 2007 iteration of the race? Charging through the spray, the Spaniard lines up second, in his highest starting position on the grid since 2012.
Alonso was greeted with cheers fit for a champion upon stepping out of his Alpine yesterday, the crowd roaring for their hero of the day, and their motivation could help Alonso's chances today.
In yesterday's post-qualifying interview, Alonso said: "The goal is to lead the race in lap one. Turn One, maximum attack.
"And then after that, they can go and they can fight - but it will be nice, sweet to lead the race."
Alonso will battle to overcome reigning world champion Max Verstappen, on pole, and snapping at his heels will be Carlos Sainz, representing the flipside of Ferrari's fortunes in Montreal starting from third.
Lewis Hamilton, whose Mercedes experienced far less of the exaggerated porpoising that has torpedoed his championship chances thus far, starts in fourth, in his highest grid position in 2022. His teammate, George Russell, looked feisty for a spot on the front row, but changed his tyres from intermediates to slicks in Q1 and after momentarily sliding off course at turn one, he lines up eighth.
But Leclerc remains the driver to watch today. After a promising start, the championship contender's hopes have dwindled after two DNFs in the past four races, and he starts Sunday 34 points adrift of standings' leader Verstappen. Can he produce the magical drive from the back of the pack to take a share of the spoils in Canada and reignite his pursuit of the ultimate prize?
Lights out in just under one hour and a half, and we'll be bringing you all of the build-up and atmosphere ahead of full coverage of today's spine-tingler at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.