F1: Monaco GP Review, Canadian GP Preview

s the 7th round of the 2018 FIA Formula 1 World Championship approaches, here is a reminder of who leads the championship going into the Canadian Grand Prix:

            Driver                           Points

1. #44 Lewis Hamilton            110  

2. #5 Sebastian Vettel               96   

3. #3 Daniel Ricciardo               72   

4. #77 Valtteri Bottas                68  

5. #7 Kimi Raikkonen                60   

6. #33 Max Verstappen            35   

7. #14 Fernando Alonso           32   

8. #27 Nico Hulkenberg            26   

9. #55 Carlos Sainz Jr                 20   

10. #20 Kevin Magnussen        19   

11. #10 Pierre Gasly                  18   

12. #11 Sergio Perez                  17   

13. #16 Charles Leclerc              9  

14. #31 Esteban Ocon                9   

15. #2 Stoffel Vandoorne           8   

16. #18 Lance Stroll                    4   

17. #9 Marcus Ericsson              2   

18. #28 Brendon Hartley           1   

19. #8 Romain Grosjean            0   

20. #35 Sergey   Sirotkin            0             

     Team                                                           Points

1. Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport     178   

2. Scuderia Ferrari                                          156   

3. Aston Martin Red Bull Racing                   107   

4. Renault Sport F1 Team                                46  

5. McLaren F1 Team                                         40   

6. Sahara Force India F1 Team                       26   

7. Haas F1 Team                                               19   

8. Red Bull Toro Rosso                                     19   

9. Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team                      11   

10. Williams Martini Racing                              4          

With 6 races down, 3 different drivers and 3 different teams have 2 wins a piece: Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo for Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull respectively, making this season look to be the closest fought yet since 2012, when 7 different drivers won the first 7 races.

Verstappen's poor season continued in Monaco, when he looks to have been comfortable helping Red Bull to a 1-2 finish, he instead crashed unnecessarily in Free Practice 3, causing him to miss qualifying. That makes 6 incidents in the first 6 races. Can we sense a demotion to Toro Rosso coming, similar to Daniil Kvyat in 2016?

The midfield battle remains as close as ever, with Renault and McLaren seeming to be edging their privateer rivals. Williams' dismal season continues with yet again no points in Monaco, despite Sergey Sirotkin consistently being in the middle of the table throughout practice.

Looking to Montreal, one of Hamilton's favourite circuits, one would bet on him showing the field up. However, due to Mercedes' delayed engine upgrades, Hamilton fears a "difficult weekend", with their rivals bringing engine upgrades to a traditionally power hungry circuit. Does this mean Ferrari will be closer than expected, and can Red Bull take the fights to the top 2 in Q3, and who will the Wall of Champions claim this year (cough-Verstappen-cough)? All will be answered on the 10th June. 