Wayne Lumbasi
Max Verstappen put in another impressive performance to claim victory in the 2022 Canadian Grand Prix, further strengthening his spot at the top of the drivers’ championship leaderboard.
Verstappen extended his lead in the standings with his sixth victory in nine races during the 2022 season. The 24-year-old Dutchman also recorded his first Formula 1 win in Canada.
He had to hold off a stiff challenge from Sainz, who pushed him but couldn’t overtake him before finishing second. And Lewis Hamilton finished third, reaching the podium for the second time this season. Sainz came very close to overtaking Verstappen on several occasions but couldn’t quite pull past him.
“I tried everything to pass Max today,” he said after the race. “But today we just didn’t have enough pace delta to get close enough in the hairpin. But the positive thing is that we were quicker, we were faster in this race, just needed that little bit more to overtake him here.”
While it was ultimately a frustrating result for Sainz, who’s still seeking his first career F1 victory, it was a better afternoon for Hamilton, who reached the podium for the first time since Bahrain.
Whilst all was going well for Verstappen early on, the same could not be said for his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez, who was forced to pull out after just nine laps due to a technical fault. This led to the deployment of the virtual safety car, where the Dutch leader and his team decided to head into the pits.
Verstappen’s 26th win of his career and his fifth in the last six races leaves the reigning champion in a great position heading to Silverstone, nearly two race wins clear of his closest challenger in the drivers’ standings. Up next is the British Grand Prix on July 3.
