Verstappen's dominance, Hamilton's return to the podium - what we learned in Canada

Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing took a commanding victory at the 2022 Canadian Grand Prix. Having started the race on pole position, the driver held his nerve through the first series of corners, keeping Fernando Alonso (Alpine) and Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) at bay in the race's early stages.

Despite two virtual safety car periods and one real safety car towards the race's closing stages, the Dutchman held on for the 26th win of his Formula 1 career and his sixth of the 2022 season. Sainz attempted to pass Verstappen as soon as racing resumed when the SC returned to the pits, but the Red Bull had ample in reserve to keep the position.

Alonso, unfortunately, had a less than spectacular race, eventually coming home in seventh place. Alpine failed to capitalise on the two virtual SC periods, so Alonso dropped the order when he eventually made his stop, coming out behind teammate Esteban Ocon. Lewis Hamilton put his Mercedes on the podium with a third-place finish. It is his second podium finish of the season.

Our points-scorers in Montreal! ??#CanadianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/WUpQr6utgJ

Herewith is our initial take on the Canadian GP

Verstappen was the man to beat throughout the weekend. Despite rain having a say in Saturday's running, he still managed to put his Red Bull on top when it mattered. And in the race, it was the same as he saw off challengers who wanted to claim the lead for themselves.

We're little more than a third into the 2022 season, but it is fair to say that Red Bull and Verstappen may have it in the bag. Their performance in Canada is a good indication of just how well they overcame their early-season jitters to now be in a commanding position in this year's championship race.

Sergio Perez's retirement would give