Rarely is it the one who finishes second at the end of the qualifications that commands the most attention. But when it comes to a driver who, at 35, has never been on the podium and who, moreover, is racing in a second-class team, it is difficult to pass up. the occasion.
Nico Hulkenberg of Haas caused the upset of the weekend so far by setting the second fastest time in qualifying, contested in near-extreme wet conditions. He finished behind Max Verstappen of Red Bull and ahead of Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin. As this is Verstappen’s fifth leading position in eight races, let’s give the mic back to Hulkenberg.
At the Canadian Grand Prix this Sunday, the German will contest his 192nd Formula 1 race. 2021 and only raced twice in 2022.
Only once, in his rookie season in 2010, did he start a GP in first position. And he had qualified in the rain.
After the qualifying sessions, he praised the communication with his team, which he believes kept him in control. “We did some good laps and we are rewarded with a good result,” he summed up.
You shouldn’t read false modesty so much as the wisdom of someone who has seen others. He knows, and everyone knows, that his Haas, barring a series of unforeseen events, does not have what it takes to hold onto second place on Sunday. He himself pointed out that, since the start of the season, his team’s running speed has not been up to speed. It is even probably lower than that deployed in qualifications. This is what makes him hope to finish “somewhere between P1 and P10”.
A good player, he nevertheless recalled that “today we can take advantage of the moment”. However, we must be “realistic”. “A lot of challenges are ahead of us [this Sunday]. »
His long months without a steering wheel did not weaken his flame, he assured. “The years have stolen nothing from me: if you know how to drive, the rules of racing and the physics of driving do not change. The car changes, but the speed is there. The rest needs to be optimized. »
This is exactly what he will attempt to do.
Max Verstappen tamed the bad weather to set the fastest time of the day. He will therefore start from the first row, for the second year in a row in Montreal.
On a soaked track, he was able to maintain control of his car and forged a lead of more than a second over Hulkenberg.
Verstappen, leader of the driver standings this season, said he was satisfied with the behavior of his car. He also praised the communication with his team, essential in these conditions.
There is no magic recipe for success in the rain, he noted, other than to “keep your faith” and use your “instinct” to make the right decisions. “It’s something you learn very young,” he said. In go-kart, my father showed me the lines to take when it was raining. It is learned, it is understood. »
Fernando Alonso, 41, was not on his first shower, and if he said he was satisfied with his third place… in the circumstances.
In the first and third session, red flags interrupted some very good laps for him as he was very close to the finish line. This third position therefore leaves him with “a different taste”, but he sees a “huge chance” for Aston Martin to score valuable points.
The Spaniard is currently third in the Drivers’ Championship behind Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, who starts 11th on Sunday. He admitted his car was probably “not level” with Verstappen’s car, but on a dry surface he hoped “to be closer than 20 or 30 seconds behind him”, a reference to the surreal margins of recent victories of the young prodigy.
The Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will start in fourth and fifth place.
Lance Stroll, who had poor qualifying, will start 13th on the grid for his home Grand Prix. After narrowly entering the second session, the Aston Martin driver lost control of his car on his first flying lap. By “luck”, only his front wing made contact with the low wall. “I touched the white line a bit inside,” he explained. I put the brakes on. […] I was lucky to just hit the wall with the front wing. It was not an ideal session for us. »
The Quebecer came out of the pits with intermediate tires rather than soft ones when the track was dry. The change came later, but it was too little, too late. “I wanted to go out on the softs, but there was a bit of rain coming. There was a crossover point for two or three laps, we just missed that opportunity. »
According to Stroll, it’s “realistic” for him to score good points on Sunday. “Here you can really go beyond, you can do something. We will see. »
Once again, Charles Leclerc appeared discouraged in front of the media, after being eliminated in the second qualifying phase. The Ferrari driver experienced much the same problem as Lance Stroll. At the start of the session, he asked his team to change the intermediate tires to soft ones, but they obviously didn’t listen to him. The Scuderia driver instead stayed in intermediate for one more lap before making the switch.
He will start 11th. “I think we just make life way too hard on ourselves in these situations,” he said. I had a clear opinion and we decided to do something else. I’m frustrated. […] I will speak with the internal team and try to understand what we can do because this is obviously not the first time that we find ourselves in this situation. »
This is the second consecutive Grand Prix where Leclerc does not start in the top 10.
Pierre Gasly was fuming in front of the media after his elimination in Q1. The Alpine driver was disturbed by the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz Jr. in the last chicane, as he completed his last fast lap. The Spaniard, idling, dangerously blocked his way, which forced Gasly to brake. He will therefore have to start at the back of the grid, in 17th place.
“I just think it’s completely unacceptable to drive like Carlos did,” the Frenchman said. It’s that simple. I arrive at 300 km/h, he is at 30 km/h in the last chicane, concentrating on his own lap. But you are not alone on the track. […] I am absolutely disgusted. According to Gasly, he was on his way to a top six.
