Ferrari Has Everything To Lose At Canadian Grand Prix

This weekend the F1 circus returns to Canada for the first time since 2019. Can you imagine the logistics behind the scenes this week?

How do teams cope with stress and sleep deprivation while maintaining the high standards expected in Formula 1? Truth is, some teams and drivers are more fortunate than others. Mercedes employs a full-time doctor to keep the squad fit and ready to fight. Every team member gets a sleep/eat schedule to mitigate jet lag. And we mean every team member, right down to the guy who has to mop up Toto Wolff's headphones after the race.

Most drivers fly commercial, but Verstappen owns a plane. We don't judge him for it. If we were in his position, we'd have one too. Paint it gold and slap a Number 1 down the flanks. Those who aren't lucky enough to hitch a ride with Max have to fly like the rest of us.

Like Charles Leclerc, who missed his flight to Montreal. The poor guy can't seem to catch a break. Let's hope his luck turns before the lights go out on Sunday.

The Canadian Grand Prix is one of the oldest on the schedule, dating back to 1978. Compared to other tracks, Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve is short and technical. The straights aren't long, and multiple kinks make the racing more interesting. It's F1's very own little go-kart track. For proof, look at the current lap record held by Valtteri Bottas. It's just 1:13.078. Each lap is a mere 2.7 miles long, so the teams will have to complete 70 laps.

There are two DRS zones. Drivers will likely use the DRS system to overtake between turns nine and ten, while the very brave will try between turns five and six.

The racing is bound to be good. As we've seen in the eight races so far, the new aerodynamic rules have succeeded in pushing the cars closer together. That's exactly what you want on a tight track like this.

George Russell is affectionately known as Mr. Saturday to F1 fans. He's guaranteed to thrill during qualifying, often placing his decidedly substandard Mercedes in a good position. We do, however, request a name change to Mr. Consistent. Not only because he's the only driver to finish every race in the top five so far but also because Charles deserves the title more.

Charles has qualified on pole in six of the eight races. Unfortunately, Max Verstappen has managed to turn more Leclerc poles into wins than Leclerc himself. And you don't score points for qualifying in pole position.

With such a short turnaround time between Azerbaijan and Canada, one must wonder whether Ferrari has had enough time to identify its issues, which leads us neatly to the next point.

Earlier this week, Ferrari announced that Carlos Sainz's car had a hydraulic failure and that it was a quick fix. So far, nothing has been said about Leclerc's whip. There's likely a good reason behind this decision.

Following his DNF at the Spanish Grand Prix, it was revealed that the car's powertrain had failed spectacularly. Both the turbo and MGU-H were shot. Drivers are only allowed three of each major component during a season, after which a ten-place grid penalty comes into play.

Leclerc's engine blowout at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix could have dire knock-on effects. If Ferrari has to replace major components, Charles has to qualify in pole just to remain in the top ten at the start of the race.

It will cost them both championship titles if Ferrari doesn't resolve its reliability issues soon. The problems persist and one has to wonder whether Scuderia Ferrari would have a better shot if it sent an SF90 to the race instead.

It's tough enough battling the Red Bull duo from the front. Fighting them from the midfield will be impossible.

The FIA finds itself in a tricky position. Drivers have started complaining loudly about the porpoising problem. When even Danny Rick has a frown on his face, you know something's seriously off. There has been talk of changing the rules regarding ride height, but that would be unfair to teams who don't suffer from the problem.

There are two outspoken voices against regulation changes, and they come from different camps. For obvious reasons, Red Bull's boss, Christian Horner, is against it.

The other less outspoken person is Fernando Alonso. The Alpine team apologized for the severe porpoising in Baku. Alonso shrugged it off, stating he was fit enough to take it. What a legend.

Speaking of Alonso, the Alpine team was looking extremely competitive in Baku. Alonso set the highest top speed of the day, and the cars had no problem overtaking once they got within striking distance. We hope to see more of the same this weekend.

Red Bull is currently dominating the 2022 F1 season. It's putting Ferrari under extreme pressure, and the rest of the grid poses no threat.

After Red Bull's third one-two of the season, it's currently sitting on 279 points in the constructor's championship. The nearest rival is Ferrari on 199 points. Thanks to George Russell's consistency and Lewis Hamilton playing a great supporting role, Mercedes is third on 161 points.

The driver's championship points are way more interesting. So far, only two drivers still need to post points on the board. Luck is not on Mick Schumacher's side. Nicholas Latifi is also on zero, but he doesn't have luck or talent on his side.

Max Verstappen is way out front at the moment. For Charles Leclerc to catch up, he needs at least one win where Verstappen doesn't finish the race. Even if that does happen, he'd still be eight points behind the Flying Dutchman. Verstappen's main rival is his teammate, making this season even more intriguing than the last.

Will Red Bull let Max and Checo race? We hope Canada will provide an answer.