F1 2018: 5 Early Predictions for the Canadian Grand Prix

After what was a very tactical Monaco Grand Prix, Formula One is heading back to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for the 2018 Canadian Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton leads Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo in the drivers' championship. All of them have won two races each, with Hamilton and Vettel slightly ahead due to better non-victory finishes.

It is still early in the season, and it is shaping up to be an exciting one. The first of the season's North American tracks in Canada could see anything go down. Will Hamilton and Mercedes pull away? Will Sebastian Vettel or Daniel Ricciardo catch up in the drivers' standings? Will a new challenger emerge, or indeed will we see a crazy victory with no title implications but lots of excitement?

We sure don't know what Canada will present, but like always, that won't stop us from trying! Here are our early predictions for the 2018 Formula One Canadian Grand Prix.

---

#1 LeClerc Bounces Back

Charles Leclerc of Monaco at the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix

Ferrari junior driver and current Alfa Romeo Sauber driver, Charles LeClerc is one of two rookies in Formula One this season. The young Monegasque driver has made quite the impression with a series of solid drives, including two points finishes in a car that should be nowhere near the top ten.

His first terrible race this season came at his home Grand Prix of Monaco, where due to no fault of his own, he suffered a brake failure. That aside, the young driver is still a top prospect in Formula One. Assuming that Sauber get a hold of their technical problems, LeClerc has a good chance to do well in Canada, and hopefully end up back in the top ten.

While LeClerc did not drive in Canada in his Formula 2 days, last year saw rookie Lance Stroll pick up his first points in a lackluster Williams. Could LeClerc face same rookie kindness that Stroll saw last year? We sure believe so.

#2 Stroll crashes in Canada

Canada Formula One driver Lance Stroll of Williams Martini...

Speaking of Lance Stroll, the Williams driver has not had the best start to his second season in Formula One. Only having one points scoring finish with an eighth place finish in Baku, Stroll and Williams have been struggling all season. The only saving grace that Stroll has had is that he as a driver has not been making mistakes, and as such has not yet had a DNF this season.

With the hometown disaster for LeClerc in Monaco, and the string of misfortune that has been befalling Williams Martini racing, we predict that the young Canadian will find himself in the barriers on Sunday.

They say that a hometown crowd can give you an extra tenth or so, but as Charles LeClerc saw in Monaco it could be a little bit of a bad luck charm. Hopefully, Stroll will have another great Canadian GP, but the current form of the British outfit leaves a lot to be desired.

#3 The title race is put on hold

F1 Grand Prix of Brazil - Qualifying

While Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton are the two front runners for the 2018 drivers championship, the likes of Raikkonen, Ricciardo, Bottas and Verstappen are still in with a shot. Especially being that it is such an early season, the title is basically up for grabs.

Lewis Hamilton is currently on a run of 31 straight points scoring finishes, and with the form that Mercedes is in, it's hard to see this ending soon. However, all streaks must come to an end at some point, and could it be that this Sunday in Canada is exactly where it does?

Sebastian Vettel has also not had a single DNF this season, although Ferrari has not had the same flawless track record that Mercedes have had in recent memory. That being said, Vettel has had a few close calls this season, including a run in with Max in China and a very close lockup in Baku.

Vettel DNF's in Singapore 2017

While the championship has been exciting this season, what would really rile it up is if the two front runners were out of the picture for a race and leave it to the rest of the field to catch up just for once! Imagine the tension for the top drivers and teams, and the fans if Ricciardo, Raikkonen, Bottas or others were thrown squarely into the Championship race!

#4 Verstappen proves his doubters wrong again

Max Verstappen at the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco 2018

The 20-year-old Dutchman has always been one of the biggest talking points in Formula One since joining in 2016. While he does stand sixth in the driver's championship this season, he has had a fair few misfortunes on his part, such as a run in with Vettel in China, and crashes in the race in Baku and in FP3 in Monaco.

However, while his aggressive style has been criticized as of late, the second generation driver still has a lot of potential. With 3 wins and 12 podiums under his belt, including a 3rd place finish in Spain, Verstappen has the speed and the style to make an impact.

The Red Bull outfit showed its speed in Monaco with Daniel Ricciardo claiming pole. We believe that in Montreal, Verstappen will make it two poles in a row. Having a disastrous qualifying in Monaco, Max will be especially focused to prove his effectiveness over a single lap, and take his first pole position in Formula One.

#5 A first time winner

Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz of Renault

With 3 drivers having 2 race wins each so far, someone has to break the tie. We don't believe it will be one of those three, so we see the seventh race of the F1 season going to somebody else.

However, while the victory could easily go to someone like Kimi Raikkonen, or Max Verstappen, we believe that the title race will be frozen even more so as the Canadian GP is taken by a driver with no current victories.

Esteban Ocon at the 2018 F1 Grand Prix of Monaco

The midfield is extremely strong this season, for example in Monaco we saw the likes of Esteban Ocon catching the Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas by a second a lap. Along with that, drivers like Charles LeClerc, Carlos Sainz, Sergio Perez and Pierre Gasly have been making the most of their increasingly competitive cars.