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

• Max Verstappen won the Canadian Grand Prix, taking his sixth win of the season.
• Ferrari had a good outing, but they trail Red Bull in almost every performance aspect.
• Mercedes are steadily improving their 2022 car, but they are still plagued by porpoising issues.

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.

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 the team some reason for concern, but they have shown that they can overcome troubles.

For Ferrari, the weekend went as good as it could. Sainz came home in second place, while teammate Charles Leclerc, who is challenging Verstappen for this year's crown, managed to finish the race in fifth place behind the two Mercedes cars of Hamilton and George Russell. Leclerc started in 19th place and fought his way up the grid.

However, while second and fifth is a good result for the fabled Italian team, their car is not very good when it comes to overtaking. Both Leclerc and Sainz struggled down the back straight where top speed is key. While the team's 2022 car is good in the corners and the drivers can make up time on rivals, they can't compete with Red Bull - and even Alpine, as we've seen in Canada - for high-end performance.

Hamilton and Mercedes-AMG have still not sorted out the porpoising issues plaguing their 2022 car, but they are making progress. And when it matters, both Hamilton and Russell are there to pick up points. When Alpine dropped the ball, Hamilton was ready to take third. And Russell continued his run of top-5 finishes he has maintained in 2022 so far.

Hamilton and Russell may be within an outside chance of winning a race this year, but the team is on the right path. And Hamilton's comments after the race suggest they are indeed heading in the right direction.

"It's quite overwhelming to get this third place, it's been such a battle this year, but we continue to stay so vigilant and focused," he said. "They're (Red Bull and Ferrari) a little bit too fast for us at the moment, but we're getting closer, so we've got to keep pushing!"