Sergio Perez's orienteering challenge: '22 Canadian GP – Goin' up, goin' down

F1

Perez scouts for his latest orienteering badge, pay drivers hoover up the points and Hamilton rolls back the years as we look at the winners and losers from the 2022 Canadian GP

Sergio Perez walks along a leafy path alongside the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve

Perez: he's out there somewhere

Dan Istitene/F1 via Getty Images

For all the excitement, the adverse weather and the topsey-turvey grid positions, the Canadian GP still mused on the same 2022 theme: Max Verstappen winning at a canter.

The Dutchman never looked flustered, but there was still much to enjoy in Montreal: Fernando Alonso’s brief delusions of grandeur, Sergio Perez being trapped in his own F1 metaphor and pay drivers picking up the points whilst those better-salaried languish down the field.

Here’s what was going up and down at the 2022 Canadian GP.

 

Going down

Perez in the wilderness

Is that it for Checo’s briefly-lived title challenge? Looked a bit lost in qualifying, then meekly broke down in the race…

 

No Sainz of life

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari, during practice for the 2022 Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.

Sainz left looking for some inspiration once again in 2022

Grand Prix Photo

With Charles Leclerc shackled by penalties and Perez off on some kind of orienteering challenge in the Montreal woodland, this really was Sainz’s chance to be the Cavallino’s cavalry in its time of need.

The Scuderia shouldn’t have got its hopes up, the Smooth Operator losing out to Verstappen and a fellow Iberian who should be seeing out his dotage in a dusty old Oviedo square, playing chess.

Come the race, Sainz had a slight tyre advantage on the Dutchman, but he never really looked like snatching the lead from Verstappen.

 

Not quite going to El Plan

ALONSO Fernando (spa), Alpine F1 Team A522, portrait during the Formula 1 AWS Grand Prix du Canada 2022, 9th round of the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship, on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, from June 17 to 19, 2022 in Montreal, Canada - Photo Florent Gooden / DPPI

Started well for ‘Nando, but…

Florent Gooden / DPPI

That Dorian Gray of the F1 grid, Fernando Alonso, continued to defy time by setting a barnstorming pace in qualifying to go second – the first time in a decade a driver over 40 had put themselves on the front row, and ten years since Alonso’s last front row too.

Sadly, it all fell apart on Sunday – Alonso said an engine issue forced him to make “kamikaze moves” to keep up with leaders, before he was dropped to ninth at the end for a penalty for weaving. Dios mio.

 

Haas in pain

MONTREAL, QUEBEC - JUNE 19: Kevin Magnussen of Denmark driving the (20) Haas F1 VF-22 Ferrari leads George Russell of Great Britain driving the (63) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team W13 during the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 19, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Said piece of wing falling off Magnussen’s Haas

Clive Rose/Getty Images

Fifth and sixth in qualifying from the worst team of 2021. Haas showing you should never give up…or should they?

Kevin Magnussen needlessly scrapped with Hamilton at the start (similar to Barcelona), damage sustained meaning he ultimately finished last, as Mick Schumacher’s engine died while he was in the points. Guenther will not be happy.

 

Goin’ Up

Old school approach

 

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Clearly a wandering mind with no title fight to ponder, Hamilton has been searching for new ways to distract himself at GPs, this time purchasing a Sega Genesis to play three-decade-old Ayrton Senna Super Monaco GP II.

Mario Kart next anybody? Gran Turismo 1? Wipeout?

Hamilton then put the practice to good use by qualifying fourth, before rolling back the years in the race to finish third. Is this the real start of his season?

 

Bravehog

You thought the drivers were the bravest souls out on track? Think again…

 

Zhou time

Guanyu Zhou (Alfa Romeo-Ferrari) during practice for the 2022 Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.

Zhou, Bottas and Alfa Romeo continued good form with a double points finish in Canada

Sauber

Zhou Guanyu received a bit of flak pre-season for his pay driver label, but the Chinese driver has been quietly solid so far, scoring an eighth here in Canada to go with his team-mate Bottas’s seventh, the pair mutually enjoying the Hinwil resurgence.

 

Stroll in the Expo park

Lance Stroll, Aston martin F1 driver, 2022 Canadian GP

Home points for Stroll

Grand Prix Photo

Stroll also receives criticism for racing with daddy’s money, but for the third time in five seasons, the Canadian raced from 17th on the grid to score points at his home race, going on a stint so long his Pirellis might as well have been carbon-dated.

Again, not bad for a pay driver.