The qualifications for the Canadian Grand Prix have delivered their verdict and it is therefore Max Verstappen who will start this Sunday (8 p.m. on Canal +) in pole position on the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit. The leader of the classification will be accompanied on the first line by Fernando Alonso (Alpine), followed by the other Spaniard Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes). Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), current 3rd in the championship 34 points behind the world champion, will start at the bottom for having exceeded the quota of authorized mechanical changes.
The race promises to be very open. Max Verstappen, current leader of the championship, will seek to register his name for the first time on the list of winners of this Grand Prix, the 9th lift of the season. It’s still a long way from Lewis Hamilton’s 7 victories between 2007 (first success for the seven-time British world champion) and 2019, but the Dutchman knows he has a golden opportunity to widen the gap a little more ranking. The circuit, 4360 meters long, is very fast with a huge straight cut in the middle by a chicane, and the climatic conditions radically different from those which agitate France at the moment weigh on the weekend.
At 5500 kilometers from France, it is indeed the rain that has dominated since the start of this 2nd North American meeting after Miami. The competitors know it well: the slightest mistake and it is elimination. The pilots left on intermediate tires and the most cautious remained in the harbour. In this little game, Pierre Gasly (who had nevertheless shown himself with a 2nd place during free practice), Sebastian Vettel, Lance Stroll, Nicholas Latifi and Yuki Tsunoda are the first five eliminated. Even the best have difficulties. Sergio Perez on the other Red Bull goes straight into the wall and cannot start again, causing the red flag while Lando Norris (McLaren) returns to the pits.
Mercedes, Alpine, and above all Haas are the only teams to enter Q3 with their two cars. The pole is then played between Verstappen, Sainz and Alonso, and it is the n°1 who completes the fastest last lap.
On the side of Ferrari, it is difficult to find the improvement of the first races. The Scuderia, which has experienced several reliability problems (Leclerc’s retirement in Spain and last week in Azerbaijan, as did Carlos Sainz) has decided in the last two days to change several mechanical parts on the Monegasque’s engine – an electronic control module then a fourth internal combustion engine and a fourth turbocharger, thus exceeding the authorized quotas resulting in a penalty. Charles Leclerc will therefore start at the back of the grid this Sunday, like Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri), for the same reasons.
“We knew we were going to make these engine changes this weekend, says Leclerc at the microphone of Canal +. We had no choice. Tomorrow, we will do the best possible race. I try to aim as high as possible. It will be complicated because it’s not as easy to overtake as we thought, we’ll see. Fellow Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz also has a new internal combustion engine. This is his third this season, remaining in the nails of the regulations, for the moment.