F1: Verstappen masters rain to win pole in Montreal

Max Verstappen showed why he is the best F1 driver of this era, using spectacular car control in changing wet track conditions to win the pole position for the Canadian GP in Montreal.

After dominating Friday practice in the dry, Verstappen’s lap of 1m21.299s on intermediate tires in his #1 Red Bull beat Fernando Alonso who put in a brilliant effort to start on the outside of the front row, 0.645s behind.  After the session, the fans were cheering Alonso wildly.

“I think today with the tricky conditions we stayed calm, didn’t make mistakes and to get the pole is great. We always enjoy driving here, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow,” said Verstappen.

“It feels great,” said Alonso as the crowd cheered. “Unbelievable weekend so far for us. Thanks to the wet conditions, the car was mega, I was so comfortable driving this car. I think we’ll attack Max in the first corner!”

Carlos Sainz Jr. was third for Ferrari, 0.797s behind the Red Bull.

“Today, I was feeling quite okay with the car in the full wet,” said Sainz. “As the track was drying, I felt the others did a step. Just trying to go for it, but for the rest, I think we’re in a good position for tomorrow. Let’s see what we can do with Fernando, as he’s been very quick all weekend.”

Lewis Hamilton was a distant 4th for Mercedes, 1.592s off the pace. The only way Hamilton beat his faster teammate George Russell was because Russell took a late gamble and switched to slicks. However, the track was too wet for slicks, and he did a lazy spin in turn 2 and ruined his chance of setting a faster time as the track dried.

Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher were a fantastic 5th and 6th for the Haas team.

Esteban Ocon claimed P7 ahead of the second Mercedes of George Russell, with Daniel Ricciardo heading Zhou Guanyu. The Chinese driver was making his first ever Q3 appearance, but will be investigated after the session for an infringement at Turn 14.

That was a frantic end to the session, as Red Bull call Verstappen’s qualifying a “masterclass” which is hard to disagree with. He is on pole, and he will have Alonso alongside. Sainz and Hamilton share the second row.

At the very front, can Alonso challenge Verstappen? He has no skin in the championship fight so to speak, and as such, can get his elbows out into Turn 1.

Charles Leclerc will start from the back of the grid in Formula 1’s Canadian Grand Prix after electing to take new power unit components.

However, during final free practice on Saturday morning, the FIA announced that Leclerc will take a number of new power unit components for the remainder of the Montreal weekend.

The new internal combustion engine, turbo, MGU-H, MGU-K is enough to mean that Leclerc will start from the back row of the grid alongside AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda, who also has a new engine fitted.

Qualifying Results