Red Bull Racing Dutch driver Max Verstappen secured his sixth victory of the 2022 Formula 1 championship last at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, after he was able to successfully defend against a late charge from Carlos Sainz, who came very close to taking his first race win, but in the end had to settle for second place in the Canadian Grand Prix.
The 2021 Formula 1 world champion therefore increased his lead at the top of the Drivers’ standings, as Ferrari drivers Carlos Sainz and his Maranello teammate Charles Leclerc did manager to at least recover some points for the Italian side in the Formula 1 Constructor Standings. The Monegasque driver started from the last row as a result of power unit penalties – finished the race in fifth place.
This outcome has led to different reactions amongst various international media outlets. Of course, Max Verstappen’s performance and race win has earned him plenty of deserved praise. French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sport L’Equipe hailed the 2021 World Champion’s “untouchable” driving as the Dutchman made no mistake despite being put under pressure by Carlos Sainz during the last 15 laps of the race:
“Constantly under pressure, the Red Bull driver did not make the slightest mistake, leaving the Spaniard far enough behind to attempt an attack,” they wrote.
At the same time, Italian daily newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport was similarly complimentary towards Max Verstappen, and believe it will be very difficult for the Maranello team to prevent the Red Bull driver from taking his second Formula 1 title this season: “The title is on its way,” the publication stated – “Indeed, this one seems to be going more and more towards Verstappen, who managed to add 50 points in two races this week.” – they added.
La Gazzetta dello Sport also wanted to point out the strong performances of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve: “Ferrari, you did everything you could,” the Italian newspaper reports – “Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc should be proud lions. They are back on their feet, with Sainz managing to give Verstappen anxiety. Given his second place finish and Leclerc’s strong performance, Ferrari can still leave the track in Canada with optimism.”
There were slightly less positive words for Ferrari coming from the Spanish media, especially Marca, who defended Carlos Sainz and felt the Maranello team did not make the best strategy call when they decided to use the Hard tyres for the final stint of the Canadian Grand Prix, instead of the Softs, which would have given Carlos more chances of overtaking the Red Bull RB18 of Max Verstappen:
“Why does Ferrari always choose the most conservative option in strategy and tyres?” they asked – “They expected Carlos to take risks, but did not give him all the tools to do so.”
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The Spanish newspaper also described Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto’s approach to Carlos Sainz as a “carrot and stick” process: “Mattia Binotto repeatedly points out the Spaniard’s mistakes, but hopes he can win his first race with the Scuderia soon,” Marca added.
On the other hand, the British media of course focused more on Mercedes and pointed pout that their relative closeness to the Maranello team in the standings ahead of the British Grand Prix is “more a reflection of a dire run by Ferrari than anything else”.
In light of Max Verstappen’s “untouchable” performance, the outlet asked if Scuderia Ferrari’s title chances are still alive: “Right now, Ferrari don’t look like a team that can mount a consistent challenge to Verstappen and Red Bull, and the onus is on them to prove that impression wrong,” they wrote.
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