Live text
Formula 1
Canadian GP
F1 Canadian GP Live Commentary and Updates - Race day
Minute-by-minute updates for the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal
F1 returns to the famous Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal this weekend for the first time since 2019, following two years of COVID-19 enforced cancellations.
Max Verstappen emerged victorious at last weekend's Azerbaijan GP as the Dutchman headed a Red Bull 1-2, as mechanical frailties struck Ferrari and title contender Charles Leclerc.
Verstappen, who starts the Canadian GP from pole position, has a 21-point championship lead over team-mate Sergio Perez, while Leclerc is third having slipped 34 points adrift.
Leclerc will aim to fight back from the last row on the grid in Canada, having taken an engine penalty following his retirement in Baku last time out.
Live Standings
presented by
Stopped
Summary
11 Days
09 hrs
58 min
37 sec
Full coverage
Check out our full coverage of Miami GP
Live Text
Sort by
Newest first
Oldest first
Newest first
Pit stop
Russell immediately comes in, as does Ocon - nice and cheap pitstops for them.
Safety car
Schumacher has stopped at the same place as Perez! The Haas driver was fighting Zhou for position but then went off track and slowed. That's triggered another Virtual Safety Car!
Sainz is told that wear is better than expected, and he's keeping a relatively decent advantage over Verstappen out front - still over 4s the gap.
Pit stop
Next lap around Albon duly pits, trading his mediums for hards, and comes out in 17th place.
On lap 18 Bottas get the move done around the outside on Albon before reaching the final chicane, and Albon's compromised line gives a freebie pass to Leclerc before they reach Turn 1.
Stopwatch
Sainz has picked up the pace again, but Verstappen's done a 1m17.356s - 0.35s quicker than the Ferrari. Gap between the two stands at five seconds.
Albon hugs the inside line to force Bottas, with DRS, to try to go around the outside, but he hasn't got enough straight to get ahead of the Williams before the final chicane.
And indeed, Verstappen grabs a tow off Alonso and clears the Alpine with DRS. Pretty simple pass there for the Dutchman.
Albon is making his Williams as wide as possible to keep Bottas behind him in the fight for 10th, which in turn is holding up Leclerc.
Sainz's pace has dropped a little bit, having been in Verstappen's ballpark in the 1m17s, but is in the 1m18.3s. The Red Bull is now on Alonso's tail.
Leclerc gets ahead of Norris, using DRS to charge into the final chicane up the inside and into 12th place.
Stopwatch
Verstappen does a 1m17.370s, a tenth faster than Sainz on lap 13.
Hamilton has a crack at Ocon for fifth, drawing alongside - but Ocon holds the inside for the chicane. No matter, Hamilton says, and draws alongside to get fifth into Turn 1.
Leclerc watch: He's still 13th, tucked up behind Norris, but he didn't pit under the virtual safety car having started on the hards.
Quote
"Hamilton lost places?" Alonso asks. He's told that he emerged from the pits behind Ocon, and Alonso replies: "We know what we have to do."
Pit stop
Latifi and Tsunoda also pitted under the Virtual Safety Car, which was effectively a free stop for the Japanese driver as he comes back out in 15th ahead of Vettel, Gasly, Latifi and Magnussen.
Green flag
Sainz and Alonso hence assume the top two positions as Verstappen rejoined in third. Full racing pace resumes once more.
Mechanical problem
Perez appears to lose drive instantly and that's his race run, as he stops at Turn 8. The marshals spring into action to push the stricken Red Bull behind the barriers.
Pit stop
Verstappen immediately takes the opportunity to pit, as does Hamilton. Hard tyres for both drivers.
Safety car
"I've lost the engine man, I'm stuck in gear," Perez says over team radio. The Virtual Safety Car has been deployed.
Pit stop
Magnussen pits for a new front wing, and gets new medium tyres as well. That puts him to the back - a shame for the Dane.
Mechanical problem
Leclerc has benefitted from those early pitters to climb to 14th place - make that 13th as Perez is crawling to a halt with an engine issue!
Stopwatch
After starting with a bit of graining, Sainz is closing Verstappen down a bit now and does a 1m17.974s. The Red Bull responds with a 1m17.828s, however.
Bottas has been shown the black and white flag for that first lap Turn 14 discretion.
Zhou dives ahead of Ricciardo at the hairpin to take ninth place to cement his strong start to the race.
Breaking news
It's a black and orange flag for Magnussen, which will be a big hit as Haas will have to change that.
Pit stop
Both Gasly and Vettel pit at the end of lap five, which is extremely early without a time-saving safety car.
Sainz has now stabilised the gap to Verstappen which had opened out to more than three seconds, as Russell now clears Magnussen to get fifth.
"We have small front wing damage, but it's having little effect," Magnussen is told. Russell's catching the Haas, however.
Gasly is struggling with a car issue and has dropped down to 18th place behind Leclerc.
Sainz breezes past Alonso with DRS on lap 3, and now has to get after Verstappen now.
Bottas has bonked the bollard at Turn 14 which could get him in trouble with the race stewards. The debris is picked up by the marshals so no immediate trouble.
Bottas has an off-track moment at the final corner and drops behind Perez and Albon and into 13th place as a result.
Hopes of Alonso nicking the lead from Verstappen have evaporated pretty quickly, as the Alpine driver has a mirror full of Sainz.
Russell makes a smart move up the inside of Schumacher at the hairpin on the opening lap to take seventh place off the Haas driver.
At the back Leclerc has made up a spot on Latifi, as has Tsunoda, which puts the Canadian to the back of the pack.
Verstappen holds off from Alonso off the start, as Sainz goes with them. Hamilton and Magnussen having a lovely little battle into Turn 3, as Schumacher drops a spot to Ocon.
Lights out
And the 2022 Canadian Grand Prix is go!
"Let's go baby, let's get some good points," Alonso's engineer says.
Green flag
The formation lap gets under way! Let the anticipation build...
By: autosport.com
Published:
Page:
