Canadian Grand Prix: Pressure on Ferrari to fix issues and respond

Sumeet Paul
16 June 2022
3:00 min read

Leclerc hoping to put disappointing run behind him

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As we head to Montreal this weekend, Sumeet Paul expects another positive Sunday for Red Bull...

"While the car is still fundamentally quick and more than capable of qualifying on the front row to compete at the front of the grid, there is a lot of uncertainty and concern hanging over Ferrari heading into this weekend given their reliability woes."

F1 Canadian Grand Prix
Sunday June 19, 19:00
Sky Sports F1

It was another painful race for Ferrari last weekend in Baku, with both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz retiring due to technical issues.

With a strategic team blunder sandwiched by two DNFs, Leclerc's title hopes have been derailed as he now sits 34 points adrift of Max Verstappen having once been 46 points clear, while Sainz has slipped to fifth in the Driver Standings.

If that didn't make for bad enough reading for Ferrari, they now trail Red Bull by 80 points in the Constructor Standings in a 129-point swing in the latter's favour, so can they prove they're still a contender with a strong showing in Canada?

Ferrari head to Montreal with question marks

After such a positive start to the season, the F1-75 is showcasing reliability concerns that are costing the Scuderia.

Despite Leclerc taking pole at six of the eight races so far this year, as well as leading two races and heading for victory in both before his power unit issues ended his day early, the lack of points and the damage done to morale will be significant.

While the car is still fundamentally quick and more than capable of qualifying on the front row to compete at the front of the grid, there is too much uncertainty and concern hanging over Ferrari heading into this weekend which subsequently means a lack of confidence in backing them to perform.

Red Bull putting together strong run

Having dealt with their own reliability woes in the early part of the season, Red Bull appear to now be on top of those and look to be building an ominous lead in both standings.

Combine that confidence in the car with their straight-line speed and the characteristics of the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, particularly the long straights towards the end of the lap in Sector 3 which look a dream for them, it certainly looks as though they'll be strong once again this weekend and they'll want to take further advantage of any ongoing Ferrari failings.

Verstappen comfortably finished ahead of teammate Sergio Perez last time out, and the same could be on the cards here with both drivers very much in play to finish on the podium with the Dutchman responding well amid growing talk of a potential scrap with his teammate for the title.

Mr. Consistency Russell to pick up more points

Fresh from another podium finish and having kept up his streak of finishing in the top five in every race so far this season, George Russell will be looking for more of the same in Montreal.

Mercedes are still struggling with their porpoising issue and are still some way off the pace in terms of challenging Red Bull and Ferrari, but they've taken advantage of the DNFs ahead of them and continue to pick up valuable points.

Russell has shown great consistency so far this season, and there is little reason to doubt that he can continue his fine start. He appears to have adapted to the car better than teammate Lewis Hamilton, who may well be nursing back soreness this weekend such was the impact of the porpoising in Baku.

Back both Mercedes to finish in the points again, with Russell maintaining his impressive streak with a top-six finish at a minimum.