Yahoo Autos 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.
