What a fantastic result it was a couple of weeks ago in Monaco for Australian F1 Driver Daniel Ricciardo. The Aussie picked up his second win of the season and moved into third place on the drivers championship standings!
The 2018 Formula 1 season continues this weekend as the tour heads to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal for the annual Canadian Grand Prix, which promises to be an exciting affair. Ricciardo and the Red Bull team seem to be finding some fantastic form of late, as to go along with the Australian’s win, teammate Max Verstappen had a fantastic drive, turning a last place qualifying finish into a ninth-place finish.
All six races in the 2018 season so far have been won by either Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton or Ricciardo, with the trio each claiming two wins. It was Mercedes’ Hamilton that came up trumps in last years Canadian Grand Prix, however, the Brit predicts that Mercedes could be in for a long weekend in Canada.
With the number of engines allowed in the 2018 season being reduced from four to just three, the Canadian Grand Prix marked the first upgrade point for the majority of teams. However, due to ‘quality issues’ Mercedes have decided to hold off their engine upgrade until the next Grand Prix, which will take place in France in two weeks.
This means that while their main competitors in Red Bull and Ferrari will be driving with newly upgraded engines, the Mercedes team will be rolling out a unit that has already competed in six GP’s, that’s including practice, qualifying and race wear.
Canada has been Hamilton’s stomping ground since the 2010 season. He has won six of the eight races over that time, with Ricciardo and Vettel claiming wins in 2013-14. The engine factor really makes me question Hamilton and the Mercedes team this weekend though, and while he starts as equal favourite, I’ll be looking elsewhere for value.
The Ferrari rival in Vettel is the standout candidate for me. Since 2010, Vettel has never retired from a Canadian race and has never finished lower than fifth place. He has one win in that time and a further three podium finishes.
Sebastian Vettel to win Canada GP
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Hunting for some value in the Grand Prix is tough when Lewis Hamilton has been so dominant at the track for so long. One driver I fancy this weekend, however, is Spaniard Fernando Alonso. The McLaren driver will become just the fourth driver in history to make 300 F1 Grand Prix appearances and has some decent form in the lead up to this year’s race.
His finishes so far in 2018 have read 5th, 7th, 7th, 7th, 8th and a retirement in Monaco a few weeks ago, so he has definitely been around the mark. I also trust McLarens ability to put together a car for the Canadian GP, as they did so well for Lewis Hamilton in 2010-2012. Back Alonso to put out a good display in his 300th race.
Fernando Alonso Top Six Finish
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