Preview | Will Verstappen pile more pressure on Ferrari in Canada?

Canadian Grand Prix

The race weekend in Canada is back on the Formula One calendar after two absent years. From 1967 the circuit has been officially on the program of Formula 1, with Australian Jack Brabham being the first winner. The GP did not take place in 1975, 1987, 2009, 2020 and 2021, but otherwise, the motorsport class came to Montreal every year since then to complete a weekend.

Lewis Hamilton was a frequent winner of the race weekend in his career. For example, he managed to win no less than seven times. He also managed to do so in 2019, when the race took place for the last time. The Briton thus finished ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc (both of Ferrari at the time), while Max Verstappen finished fifth.

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve

Up until 1977, Formula One racing in Canada took place annually near Toronto, after which it moved to Montreal. Canadian Gilles Villeneuve was the first winner of the GP in 1978, so from 1982 the circuit bears his name. He is still the only Canadian Formula One driver to win the top prize there.

The track is over 4.3 kilometres long and has some remarkable aspects, including the wall that can be found at the last chicane before start/finish. The track also has a long straight at sector 3 and a number of interesting chicanes that still inspire the drivers.

Formula 1 in 2022

The battle between Red Bull Racing and Ferrari continued in Azerbaijan. Once again it was Ferrari with Charles Leclerc who took pole position, but once again the Monegasque was unable to finish the race winning. Already in the first corner, he had to leave Sergio Perez behind.

Painfully for Ferrari, it had to deal with a Carlos Sainz retirement early on, so all arrows were focused on Leclerc. The latter driver also had little luck in Baku and had to drop out after problems with his car. Verstappen and Perez, who finished first and second respectively, consequently lost further in the world championship.

Weather forecast

The drivers seem to be affected by precipitation during the free practice and qualifying sessions. According to Weatheronline.com three millimetres of precipitation will fall on Friday, while on Saturday even 3.8 millimetres will come down. On Sunday it will be almost dry. The maximum temperatures are between 20 and 26 degrees.

Forecast for the Grand Prix

If Ferrari wants to compete for the world title this season then the Italian team will have to be able to win a race soon. The Canadian GP could be an interesting opportunity to fight back for the world championship.

Red Bull on the other hand is in a better shape than its competitor and will therefore work hard to further increase the difference in the rankings. In doing so, the precipitation could work in the Austrian formation's favour and bring Verstappen closer to victory again.

Although it is only the ninth race of the season, the stakes prior to the weekend are high. With fourteen races still to go, Red Bull and Ferrari know all too well what is at stake, although the Austrians will be in a calmer state.

Timetable for the 2022 Miami Grand Prix [UK time]

Friday

First free practice: 19:00 - 20:00

Second free practice: 22:00 - 23:00 hours

Saturday

Third free practice: 18:00 - 19:00 hours

Qualifying: 21:00 - 22:00 hours

Sunday

Race: 19:00 - 21:00 hours