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The Canadian GP returned to F1 with a bang. The weekend had its fair share of drama, controversy, and excellent drives up and down the grid. Was it the best Canadian GP weekend ever? Most probably not! But it was still good as the new generation of cars attacked the track for the first time.
Having said that, as the F1 teams rush back to their headquarters in Europe, let's unpack the 2022 F1 Canadian GP.
The 2022 F1 Canadian GP review
Who was the star of the race?
It's hard to put a finger on one driver that lit up the race because while there were some great moments in the race from Charles Leclerc, George Russell, and even Fernando Alonso. However, if there was one driver that did somewhat punch above his weight, it was Carlos Sainz.
The Spanish driver drove the wheels off that Ferrari while trying to hunt down Max Verstappen early in the race and then gave the reigning world champion a run for his money in the end as well.
After Leclerc was out of contention, it appeared as though Max Verstappen was going to cruise to a win. Turns out, the Red Bull driver really had to fight for the win in the end.
Who was the surprise of the day?
Guanyu Zhou looked woefully out of his depth early in the season when Valtteri Bottas posted one great result after another. But the race in Baku seems to have been a turning point for the Chinese driver as he is starting to put the pieces together.
Zhou was fast in the first part of the Canadian GP and kept his nose clean. Even in the second part of the race, where he had to overtake Sebastian Vettel, he did so without the use of DRS, which was all the more impressive. If the Alfa Romeo driver can keep this up, the "pay driver" reputation could turn into a thing of the past.
Who was the biggest disappointment?
McLaren is getting one reality check after another this season. The British team was a constant fixture in the top six last season and was expected to make a jump ahead in the new regulations. As it turns out, that could not have been any further from the truth.
The Canadian GP saw both the McLaren drivers finish outside the points, and it was not because of anything other than a lack of performance from the car.
What was the 'feel-good' moment of the weekend?
Many would mark Fernando Alonso's qualifying lap for the Canadian GP that secured him a front-row start as the stand-out moment of the weekend. However, for a fan that has been watching the sport for more than a decade, the Canadian GP FP3 was nothing short of being a blast from the past.
The two former world champions, Alonso and Sebastian Vettel, were in a league of their own, pulling out lap times from a wet track in their respective machinery. At one point, it was half a tenth that separated Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel at the top of the timesheet.
Sadly, Aston Martin's strategy in qualifying robbed the fans of Vettel vs Alonso Part 2, but for however long it was, it was a great throwback for everyone.
Where's the Canadian GP sympathy corner?
Fernando Alonso was on cloud nine after qualifying in P2 and starting the race on the front row. However, the Spaniard's race spiralled from there. He lost out in both the first and second VSC periods, had a power unit issue from lap 20 onwards, pitted under normal race conditions while everyone around him had pitted under the VSC. He further lost out due to the timing of the SC as Alpine had to double stack and then finally got a penalty for weaving too much on the main straight while trying to defend from Valtteri Bottas.
There were some great and some not-so-great moments for the drivers at the Canadian GP; it will be interesting to see where the chips fall after the Silverstone GP on July 3, 2022.
