This weekend sees F1 return to Canada for the first time since 2019.

Like the driver it is named after, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is loved by fans and drivers alike, and, like said driver, is full of surprises.

A series of fast straights, linked by chicanes, a tight opening complex and a hairpin, the Montreal track, like Baku last week, is likely to see some serious porpoising. Indeed, Montreal has some elements in common with Baku, thanks to its heavy traction and braking demands on a rapidly-evolving surface, but with lower speeds and cooler weather.

While the drivers, led by George Russell, are calling for changes, it is now known that a move pre-season to avoid the problem was rejected. Furthermore, it is becoming increasingly obvious that the teams themselves could resolve, or at least ease the problem, were they to accept a drop in performance... but that will never be the case.

Consequently, expect more pained, contorted faces from Lewis and the lads this weekend.

Of course, pained faces was the order of the day last time out at Baku, where Ferrari suffered its first double DNF of the season, thereby leaving the Italian team 80 points adrift of Red Bull and Charles Leclerc 34 points behind Max Verstappen.

As far as the hydraulics issue that sidelined Carlos Sainz is concerned, the Maranello outfit is providing a short-term fix this weekend, however the engine issue may take a little longer.

At the start of the season, Ferrari, along with its customer teams, Haas and Alfa Romeo, appeared to have a clear advantage as far as power units go, but that advantage has slipped away in recent races. Even worse however is that three Ferrari-powered cars retired last weekend.

It's rumoured that the root of the problem is the fact that the engines are being turned up too high, and whether this is true or not the fact is that Ferrari does have a reliability issue. Little wonder therefore that the tifosi are beginning to wonder whether Charles Leclerc's success earlier in the season merely mirrored the Maranello outfit's numerous attempts over the years to promise much but deliver little.

While Red Bull delivered a 1-2 last weekend it was clear that the Austrian team hasn't yet fully resolved its DRS issue, while the use of gaffer tape to 'mend' Yuki Tsunoda's flap raised a few eyebrows around the paddock.

While the Mercedes pair bounced their way to third and fourth, Pierre Gasly took a well-deserved fifth, ahead of Fernando Alonso who did to the McLaren duo pretty much what he did to Hamilton a week earlier.

Though the new rules have, as promised, allowed cars to follow one another more closely, the question of overtaking remains the issue that it was, only now we have the problem of DRS trains - which are likely to be an issue at a track like Montreal.

Montreal is the toughest challenge of the year so far for the engines. The long straights demand maximum power for just over 60% (63% in qualifying) of the lap, with the longest straight witnessing speeds in excess of 330 kph.

Nine of the ten corners are taken at less than 150 kph, but each of them is quickly followed by a sharp stab on the throttle, this rapid braking-acceleration sequence calling for accurate power delivery and good turbo response.

The hairpins at Turns 2 and 10, plus the chicane leading into the infamous Wall of Champions, are extremely heavy braking points, with engine braking assisting the demand to slow the cars to a low of 60kph.

With not enough braking points to allow the MGU-K to recover the full allowable amount, this, along with the high fuel consumption, makes for a delicate balancing act during the race to stay within the permitted fuel load.

The weather has often been a major feature of the race weekend, the infamous 2011 race still the longest in F1 history, thanks to six safety car periods and a lengthy interruption that neutralised the action for several hours.

It's never easy to predict the conditions, and currently, while it is expected to be cloudy on Sunday, we are expecting storms on Friday and showers for qualifying.

Looking at those demands on the engine, Ferrari must be heading to Montreal with trepidation, similarly Mercedes in terms of their silver Space Hoppers. All of which suggests Red Bull must be relishing another strong weekend.

However, if the Weather Gods do make an appearance, anything is possible, and, as Baku proved, veterans like Alonso and Sebastian Vettel are still capable of springing a surprise.

According to Betway, Verstappen at 1.83 is favourite this weekend, ahead of Leclerc at 3.75, Perez at 4.33, Sainz at 15.00, Russell at 29.00 and Hamilton at 34.00

As for the teams, Red Bull is 1.33, Ferrari 3.00, Mercedes 15.00, McLaren 67.00, Alfa Romeo 126.00 and Alpha Tauri 126.00.