Come rain or shine, there’s nothing you can do to upset Max Verstappen.
After a difficult day the day before, the Dutch driver set the record on Saturday by taking the lead in qualifying for the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix.
If nobody is surprised that the double world champion secures his fifth top place of the season (and the 25th of his career) with his Red Bull, Nico Hülkenberg (Haas) was definitely not expecting second place.
But the fairy tale of the German driver didn’t last long, because a little later the commissioners of the International Automobile Federation imposed a penalty of three places on the starting grid for him not having braked sufficiently at the red flag.
Stroll again punished
This situation will benefit Fernando Alonso, who set the third fastest time but will eventually start from second at the wheel of his Aston Martin. Once again he left his teammate Lance Stroll, who had to settle for 13th place, in a bad light.
The Quebec driver made a mistake on his first lap of the second qualifying round (Q2) and never recovered.
His spin could have ended in disaster in a very narrow section of the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit, but luckily for him his single-seater didn’t touch the protective wall. However, like Hulkenberg, Stroll also learned that he was penalized by three places on the grid, this time for hampering Esteban Ocon’s run in qualifying. He will therefore start from the 16th row when the red lights go out.
Lewis Hamilton, fourth in qualifying, also secures a spot on the grid. He will share the second row with teammate George Russell at Mercedes.
Successful changes
The crazy qualifying took place under changing conditions, which prompted the drivers to change tires several times.
“We weren’t entirely happy with how our car behaved on Friday, but the team made some good changes,” said Verstappen, who is aiming for a second straight win in Montreal.
“We had to follow the right strategy, especially on the second lap when we quickly decided to use slick tires [sans rainures] paid off,” he continued.
If the rain had stopped on the first lap, it started again heavily at the end of the final stage.
The changing conditions didn’t bother Max Verstappen, who secured the 25th career top spot in Formula One. Joël Lemay / Agence QMI
Hope for a podium
“This second place is a surprise for both you and me,” said Hulkenberg before his penalty. “It was a strange qualifying, but in the end it was fun,” said Hülkenberg.
However, the German rider is aware that he will have to work hard after the start to hold his position. Especially since the chance of precipitation on Sunday is low for the day.
Hulkenberg holds the unenviable record for most starts (188) without making the podium.
Alonso tried everything at the end of the session to force the driver out of the Haas team, but the very heavy rain ended his hopes.
“I’m still happy with my result,” said Alonso. Of course I want to improve on Sunday, also to compete with Max [Verstappen] is not an easy task.
Alonso also started from second place in Montreal last year but crossed the finish line in ninth place.
Frustration for Leclerc and Pérez
We will also remember from this unprecedented qualifying session that two big names, Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and Sergio Pérez (Red Bull), failed in their bid to advance to the final lap, which features the top ten drivers. In qualifying, they only achieved the 11th and 12th best times.
On the one hand, the Monegass meets the same fate as in Barcelona two weeks ago, failing to advance to the third round; On the other hand, the Mexican is experiencing a serious slump against a stubborn Red Bull teammate.
Speaking of Verstappen, a win in Montreal on Sunday would see him join legend Ayrton Senna, who is fifth all-time with 41 wins. And for Red Bull, the next success will be the 100th run in Formula 1.