Verstappen On Pole In Rainy Montreal As Hulkenburg Loses P2 For Red Flag Infringement

Max Verstappen secured pole position in a commanding fashion during the qualifying session for the Canadian Grand Prix of 2023. Surprisingly, Nico Hulkenberg's Haas outperformed Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin, earning himself a spot on the front row of the grid, however a breach of red flag protocol will see him starting fifth for Sunday’s race.

Verstappen, driving for Red Bull, appeared to have the most comfortable ride over the bumpy and challenging Montreal circuit, especially considering the variable weather conditions. However, Alonso posed a potential threat to Verstappen's pole position if the wet Q3 session had proceeded normally.

Nico Hulkenberg recieved a 3-place grid penalty for breaching the red flag

In Q3, Alonso trailed Verstappen's initial flying lap by just two tenths of a second. Nevertheless, Verstappen delivered an outstanding second lap, clocking in at 1m25.858s, significantly extending his lead for pole position.

Also Read: Mercedes-Benz Vision One Eleven Concept Pays Tribute To The Iconic C111 Prototype

During the session, Oscar Piastri encountered a crash while exiting Turn 7 in his McLaren. The red flags were raised, but unfortunately, they were slightly delayed, allowing Hulkenberg's Haas to complete its second flying lap and claim second place on the grid, narrowly beating out Alonso by a margin of 0.184 seconds.

By the time the session resumed, the rainfall intensified, making any further improvements impossible. Consequently, Verstappen secured pole position with a remarkable 1.244-second lead over Hulkenberg, making them the only two drivers to complete more than one flying lap.

Alonso settled for third place, followed by Lewis Hamilton and George Russell of Mercedes. Esteban Ocon from Alpine took sixth place, while Lando Norris in his McLaren claimed seventh. Carlos Sainz, representing Ferrari, secured eighth place, with Piastri and Alex Albon of Williams completing the top ten. However, both Sainz and Ocon are under investigation for impeding during the earlier stages of qualifying.

Also Read: Porsche Unveils Mission X All-Electric Hypercar Concept

Impressively, Albon progressed to Q3 by leading the Q2 session, which witnessed a precarious decision-making process between selecting slick tires or intermediates due to the constantly changing track conditions. Albon took a gamble and opted for slicks from the beginning, showcasing the necessary confidence and grip to outpace Verstappen during this segment.

Verstappen, along with the two McLarens, successfully utilised slick tires after switching from intermediates mid-session. In contrast, Alonso achieved the fifth-fastest time in Q2 by persisting with intermediates.

Although Mercedes was relatively slow in transitioning to slick tires compared to other teams, both Russell and Hamilton managed to secure places in the top ten. Russell claimed seventh place with the lap time he set on his first run with intermediates, while Hamilton settled for tenth.

Charles Leclerc, driving for Ferrari, failed to find sufficient pace on slicks as the conditions worsened towards the end of Q2. He finished 0.189 seconds behind Hamilton's Mercedes and expressed his frustration over the Ferrari team radio, marking his second consecutive disappointment in qualifying.

Charles Leclerc, driving for Ferrari, failed to find sufficient pace on slicks as the conditions worsened towards the end of Q2

Sergio Perez had a challenging Q2 session, frequently switching between intermediates and slicks, leading to crucial mistakes on both tire types. As a result, he ended up as the 12th fastest driver, missing out on a place in Q3 for the third consecutive race, falling over half a second short of the top ten.

Lance Stroll experienced a massive spin and a brush with the barrier at Turn 7 early in Q2, likely denting his confidence. Although he pitted for a fresh set of intermediates, he struggled for the remainder of the session and settled for 13th place, trailing Perez by half a second and a significant 1.7 seconds behind his Aston Martin teammate, Alonso. Stroll was also called in for investigation regarding impeding.

Kevin Magnussen's Haas and Valtteri Bottas' Alfa Romeo rounded out the top 15 positions.

Also Read: Ferrari Wins At Le Mans After 58 Years

In a chaotic conclusion to Q1, Pierre Gasly from Alpine faced the most notable setback. As cars jostled for a final flying lap on intermediate tires before the chequered flag, the congestion forced Gasly to take an evasive line through the run-off area.

Gasly expressed his frustration, raging, "They should be banned for that! I'm coming at 300 km/h!" Otmar Szafnauer, the team boss, believed that Gasly could have secured a top-six position in Q1 if not for the incident, which he described as "ridiculous."

Ultimately, Gasly finished 17th fastest, trailing Yuki Tsunoda's AlphaTauri, who is under investigation for potentially impeding Leclerc's Ferrari at the final chicane. Tsunoda fell a mere 0.016 seconds short of surpassing Hulkenberg's Haas and progressing to Q2. Nyck de Vries from AlphaTauri claimed 18th place, followed by Logan Sargeant's Williams and Zhou Guanyu's Alfa Romeo. Zhou caused an early red flag when his car stopped on the track during his first out-lap, but he managed to resume the session after a brief delay.