- Formula 1. F1 LIVE - Formula 1's Canadian Grand Prix Qualifying Full Results and Starting Order
- Formula 1. Max Verstappen on Checo Perez: It's difficult to say because I don't know what's going on in his head
The rain picked up prior to the start of Q3 and Red Bull's Max Verstappen secured the first position of the queue in the Canadian Grand Prix. Nico Hulkenberg will start second and Fernando Alonso, who had pole position options, will start third. Oscar Piastri's accident to start the final round prevented the Spaniard from completing his second lap by 200 meters. He would have been first or second.
Ferrari, meanwhile, kept Carlos Sainz in the box with the blankets on his intermediate tires. They had the second pit lane box and could have been in the fight, but Red Bull was too much to handle.
Leclerc was eliminated in Q2 and Sainz was investigated for braking Pierre Gasly in the same round. The driver from Madrid is eighth at the moment, but all indications are that he will have to start 11th when the usual penalty is applied in these cases.
"I was preparing the next lap when the red flag came," said Sainz.
Had he been behind Verstappen at the lights, he would have been second, like Hulkenberg.
Canada GP will be dry on Sunday
Sunday's race will almost certainly be dry and the chances of victory are the same as if it were wet.
Alonso, in the clean zone, has Hulkenberg in range at the start and then he can apply himself to put pressure on Verstappen in search of the 33rd.
He has not made any mistakes, nor has the Dutchman had any mechanical failures, but several problems could happen to him Sunday.
Fernando will undoubtedly go out to win Sunday as he has done in the last 22 years in Formula 1.
Provisional starting grid for Canadian GP 2023
1st M. Verstappen (I) Red Bull 1'25"858 26
2nd N. Hulkenberg (I) Haas 1'27"102 +01"244 25
3rd Fernando Alonso (I) Aston Martin 1'27"286 +01"428 24
4th L. Hamilton (I) Mercedes 1'27"627 +01"769 25
5th G. Russell (I) Mercedes 1'27"893 +02"035 24
6th E. Ocon (I) Alpine 1'27"945 +02"087 25
7th L. Norris (I) McLaren 1'28"046 +02"188 25
8º Carlos Sainz (I) Ferrari 1'29"294 +03"436 24
9th O. Piastri (I) McLaren 1'31"349 +05"491 25
10TH A. Albon (I) Williams 55'55"555 +54'29"697 23rd
Piastri red flag with 7:11 to go
McLaren's Oscar Piastri was completing a good session when his car went off at the start of Q3.
This was the driver who could in no way be out of the seat in 2023 and has so far shown nothing.
Verstappen was first at the time and Alonso third, but 1.4 behind Verstappen, as the accident cut his second attempt short by a mere 200 meters.
Hulkenberg came in second place.
Q2: Alonso to fifth and Sainz sixth, Leclerc and Checo eliminated
He started on intermediates, switched to dry and went back to intermediates.
The two Spaniards were able to nail a good time, but not Leclerc and Checo Perez, very erratic, who were eliminated without remission as 11th and 12th, respectively.
Stroll also missed out on the top 10 round.
For the Mexican, this is the third consecutive time he has failed to make it to Q3 despite having the best car of all.
Q1: Alonso es second in a duel with Verstappen
The two alternated at the front several times on intermediates as the track dried out. The two best in changing asphalt conditions, without any doubt.
Sainz ed as 11th; but with an incident for braking Gasly, because he was not warned from the wall that he was coming launched in the last chicane.
The maneuver was noted by the stewards and almost certainly entailed a penalty of 3 places on the grid.
Guanyu Zhou (Alfa Romeo), caused a red flag on his first lap, because his car was accelerating. He cut the first attempt to many drivers, among them Alonso.