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.
