Max Verstappen extended his championship lead (F1.com)
Dutch driver Max Verstappen reigned after the conclusion of an eventful Canadian Grand Prix. F1's return to Montreal gave us one of the best qualifying sessions in recent memory, as drivers like Fernando Alonso and Mick Schumacher excelled in the wet conditions.
The race itself had some high-profile retirements and it threw another curveball into this year's championship battle. Charles Leclerc, expecting a major loss in the championship due to his engine penalty, had to watch Verstappen pick up 25 points with the victory. Verstappen's teammate, Sergio Perez suffered an unfortunate gearbox failure that prevented him from challenging for points.
Another F1 race means another edition of the Sincere Sports power rankings. Does Verstappen's win in Montreal give him the top spot or did a midfield driver outshine him? Find out below.
As usual, I added all the drivers' scores together to find the top 10 drivers for this particular race and on a season-long basis.
If you've forgotten, we take machinery entirely out of the equation and simply judge the drivers based on how well they did with the equipment they possessed.
Let's begin!
Alonso deserved more than P9 (F1i.com)
1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
Race Position: 1st
Score: 9.9
Nobody was on Max Verstappen's level in Montreal. Known for his prowess in wet conditions, it was nevertheless impressive that Max grabbed pole position by over 6 tenths. He was simply operating above everybody else on Saturday at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
The dry conditions of Sunday meant it was likely going to be more of a challenge to hold onto P1. Yet that's precisely what Max did. Despite some bad luck with the Virtual Safety Car period, he got his head down and held off Carlos Sainz for over 20 laps, despite the Ferrari driver having the benefit of DRS and fresher tires. 9.9 is a worthy score for a drive of that quality.
Verstappen has taken 116 of a possible 130 points since the Australian Grand Prix came to a close. Somehow, the reigning world champion hasn’t seemed to be at his indomitable best, but he is still picking up results when every other driver comes up short.
2. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
Race Position: 2nd
Score: 8.8
It really seemed like Carlos Sainz was going to win his first ever F1 race. Alas, it wasn't meant to be, as the Spaniard picked up his 5th ever P2, just over a second behind Verstappen. Leclerc's engine penalty meant that Sainz had to be the Ferrari driver to challenge Verstappen. P3 on the grid was a pretty respectable result, though he would have liked to be a bit closer to pole, considering his best lap was almost 7 tenths off of Max's lap.
Sainz got past Fernando Alonso with ease on Sunday. Challenging for the win looked out of reach, at least until a safety car was called out for Yuki Tsunoda's odd crash into the wall at Turn 2. Sainz was just a second behind Verstappen, with the benefit of DRS for over 15 laps and newer hard tires. Sainz's score takes a hit because of his failure to use those circumstances to take the checkered flag, but as a whole, the Canadian GP was one of Sainz's better weekends this season.
3. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
Race Position: 3rd
Score: 8.7
The Mercedes transformation in Canada was quite something. After calling his car "undriveable" and finishing out of the top 10 in Friday's practice sessions, even points seemed like a difficult demand of a clearly rattled Lewis Hamilton. However, Hamilton managed to squeeze maximum performance out of the W14, grabbing his second podium of the 2022 season.
Canada has always been a happy hunting ground for Sir Lewis, which he showed with an impressive P4 on the grid in the wet. However, Hamilton said a podium wasn't a realistic goal for the race. While Fernando Alonso's lack of pace contributed to Hamilton's P3, the main factor was a mature drive from a mature driver.
Mercedes are still unable to compete for wins, but maybe this result will spur on Hamilton for his home race at Silverstone.
T4. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Race Position: 5th
Score: 8.3
Canada was obviously about damage limitation for Charles Leclerc, whose status as title protagonist is quickly fading. Two engine failures in three races meant that Leclerc had to start from P19 on Sunday, with a whole new power unit in the back of his Ferrari. While people can speculate about whether Leclerc could have fought for pole if Ferrari avoided an engine penalty, the simple answer is that Verstappen likely would have been out of reach for the Monegasque.
Thus, Sunday was about reducing the amount of damage that Verstappen could cause to Leclerc's championship hopes. Leclerc utilized his tire management skills to limit an extra pit stop, which pushed him high up the order. By the end, Leclerc was in P5, behind just Verstappen, Sainz and the two Mercedes drivers.
While P5 is undoubtedly a decent result from P19 (Leclerc won Driver of the Day), it was a frustrating day for him. Even with DRS, Leclerc was stuck behind Esteban Ocon's Alpine for over a dozen laps, which effectively ruined his podium chances. If Leclerc had gotten past Ocon, this race could have been very different.
T4. Fernando Alonso, Alpine
Race Position: 9th
Score: 8.3
In the most polite way possible, Alpine have been free practice merchants in 2022. They flash some tremendous speed in the meaningless sessions, seemingly flirting with the top teams before they eventually drop off when qualifying comes around. But Montreal was different.
Alonso's performances in Q1 and Q2 meant that he looked like a solid bet for a top-5 start. Despite that, everybody was stunned when the veteran was the second fastest in the final qualifying session, seizing his first front-row grid spot in a decade.
Alonso said that P6 or P7 was the best theoretical result for Alpine, even after his qualifying. Despite that, it was still disappointing when his Alpine's race trim knocked him way back down the order. Alonso was a victim of his team this weekend, as Alpine forced him out on a peculiar one-stop strategy and then kept him behind Esteban Ocon in the latter stages of the race, despite Alonso insisting that he was quicker. Though he finished P7 at the flag, a post-race penalty for weaving demoted Alonso to P9, a difficult result to swallow, considering his unreal qualifying performance.
T6. George Russell, Mercedes
Race Position: 4th
Score: 7.6
George Russell continues to be Mr. Consistency. He has never finished outside of the top 5 at any race this season. Though his race days are rarely the flashiest on the grid, the young Briton is always competitive, as he was in Montreal.
Qualifying was a bit disappointing for Russell. His lap times in Q2 showed that pulling off pole position wasn't out of his reach, despite the limits of his car (remember Spa last year?). However, a risky gamble to try a flying lap on the slicks forced Russell to retire from P3, as he started in P8.
Nevertheless, Russell made his way up the order briskly. He stayed behind Hamilton, even after the Safety Car period, perfectly content to take P4. Mercedes have a chokehold on P3 in the Constructors' Championship, but if Russell can continue to perform like this, challenging for P2 in the championship isn't impossible.
T6. Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo
Race Position: 8th
Score: 7.6
Zhou Guanyu has been quietly elevating his performance for Alfa Romeo in recent weeks. Reliability issues have plagued F1’s first ever full-time Chinese driver, but he is nevertheless showing signs of legitimate pace. The Canadian GP was no different.
Zhou made it through to Q3 for the first time in his Formula 1 career. They say rain is the great equalizer in F1, so it was telling that Zhou outqualified drivers like Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Perez and Sebastian Vettel.
Zhou was held up by Lance Stroll for a large majority of the race, which could have impacted his ability to push even further forward. The Alfa Romeo driver is doing a really good job of shedding the label of “pay driver” in his rookie season. I am still skeptical that he was what it takes to succeed at the pinnacle of the sport, but he is starting to look more comfortable.
T8. Esteban Ocon, Alpine
Race Position: 6th
Score: 7.5
Despite Alonso’s outrageous qualifying, it was actually Ocon that took home the lion’s share of the points for Alpine this weekend. The Frenchman seems to be making a habit of being more productive than his flashier teammate with his subtle approach.
While he was nowhere near P2, Ocon still took a very respectable 7th place on the grid after Saturday’s wet qualifying. He managed to outqualify George Russell after the Mercedes driver’s adventure on the slicks.
Ocon’s race pace was impressive, as he held up Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari. Ocon took advantage of a VSC period to make a pitstop. He led Fernando home at the flag with yet another quietly effective race.
T8. Mick Schumacher, Haas
Race Position: DNF
Score: 7.5
Just as discussions about his Haas seat were beginning to heat up, Mick Schumacher produced the kind of weekend that could alleviate some of the pressure concerning his future. Haas were pleasantly surprised by their qualifying pace, as proven by Schumacher’s remarkable P6, easily the best qualifying of his young career.
However, Mick seems allergic to points. The young German was lacklustre in his race pace almost immediately. He lost a couple of places in the first few laps and by lap 19, Zhou Guanyu was lining up a pass that would have sentenced Mick to another race outside of the points. Just as that was happening, Schumacher’s car suffered a mechanical failure and he retired from the race.
I’m beginning to feel sorry for Michael Schumacher’s son. Many of his woes have been self-inflicted, as evidenced by this being his first Power Rankings appearance of the year, but this seemed to be one of his best chances to get points. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be, but this was a productive weekend for Mick.
10. Kevin Magnussen, Haas
Race Position: 17th
Score: 7.3
Magnussen actually outqualified Schumacher on Saturday, producing a stonking lap to start P5. It wasn’t as big of a surprise as Mick’s P6, since we’ve seen Magnussen’s ability more often, but it was nonetheless impressive.
Unlike his younger teammate, Magnussen had a really good getaway off the line. Heading into the Turn 4/5 chicane, Magnussen was ready to prepare an overtake on Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes. Unfortunately for the Dane, he made contact with Hamilton, breaking Magnussen’s front wing. A black-and-orange flag was waved for Magnussen, effectively ruining his race. The extra pit stop forced him to the back of the grid. However, Magnussen’s P5 on Saturday showed that Haas are still capable of looking competitive.
JUST MISSED
Bottas bounced back after his Baku struggles (F1i.com)
Despite finishing ahead of his teammate Zhou Guanyu, Valtteri Bottas didn’t finish in the top 10 of the power rankings. Perhaps the judges had higher standards for Bottas? Perhaps Bottas’ poor qualifying run was overshadowed by Zhou’s Q3 appearance? Either way, the Finn executed a one-stop strategy very well, using the Safety Care period to assure an impressive P6.
While his teammate celebrated his first ever Canadian GP, it was once again Alex Albon who shone for Williams. Qualifying P12 in a Williams is quite the result, especially considering Latifi’s placement during Saturday’s session. Albon was actually in the points early on during the race after a good start. However, horrendous luck with the VSCs and the sluggish pace of his car forced him to settle for P13. Still, the Thai driver is squeezing all the potential out of his Williams.
THE OVERALL STANDINGS
Charles Leclerc had a solid recovery drive (F1i.com)
There are a few minor changes in this week’s overall top 10. Max Verstappen’s excellent race weekend in Montreal helped him trim the gap to Charles Leclerc at the top of the leaderboard. Sergio Perez’s disaster weekend knocked him back a place and George Russell replaced him in P3 of the overall leaderboard. Interestingly, further down the order, there is a 4-way tie for 6th place between Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso, Valtteri Bottas and Lando Norris. Esteban Ocon replaces his fellow Frenchman, Pierre Gasly, in 10th place.
1. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Season Average: 8.9
Last GP: 1st
2. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
Season Average: 8.8
Last GP: 2nd
3. George Russell, Mercedes
Season Average: 8.1
Last GP: 4th
4. Sergio Perez, Red Bull
Season Average: 7.9
Last GP: 3rd
5. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
Season Average: 7.5
Last GP: 7th
T6. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
Season Average: 7.4
Last GP: 9th
T6. Fernando Alonso, Alpine
Season Average: 7.4
Last GP: 8th
T6. Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo
Season Average: 7.4
Last GP: 6th
T6. Lando Norris, McLaren
Season Average: 7.4
Last GP: 5th
10. Esteban Ocon, Alpine
Season Average: 7.1
Last GP: not ranked
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