Qualifying Results 2023 Canadian F1 GP

Event: Canadian F1 Grand Prix
Track: Gilles Villeneuve circuit

Cars are lining up for qualifying for 2023 Canadian GP at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve

Weather: wet 16°C
Tarmac: wet  18°C
Humidity: 88%
Wind: 8.6 m/s NW

Max Verstappen qualified as quickest for the 25th time today. The Red Bull driver scored his second pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix. It was the 5th pole of the season for the Dutch driver and the 88th pole for the Red Bull team.

Qualifying Report

In an exciting turn of events, Red Bull's ace, Max Verstappen, clinched the pole position for the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix amidst wet weather that ruled over Saturday's qualifying rounds in Montreal. The surprise of the day was Nico Hulkenberg, Haas' driver, who initially secured the second spot due to well-calculated timing. However, a subsequent infraction related to red flag rules saw him lose this position later that day.

Verstappen clocked an impressive 1m 25.858s in the initial phases of Q3, giving him a strong grip on the pole position amidst challenging conditions. This occurred just before McLaren's newcomer, Oscar Piastri, triggered the red flags by colliding with the wall at Turn 7.

Just before the session's interruption, Hulkenberg clocked a lap that initially landed him in the front row. However, a subsequent downpour during the break ensured no further improvements could be made when the qualifying resumed.

Following the session, the stewards announced an inquiry into a potential red flag violation by Hulkenberg. After their review, the decision was made to penalize the German driver with a three-place grid penalty.

Fernando Alonso from Aston Martin secured the third spot, while the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell grabbed the fourth and fifth positions, all benefiting from Hulkenberg's penalty. They will be hoping to extend Mercedes' positive momentum.

Esteban Ocon from Alpine secured sixth place, followed by Lando Norris from McLaren in seventh. Carlos Sainz was the fastest Ferrari driver after his teammate Charles Leclerc, along with Red Bull's Sergio Perez and Aston Martin's Lance Stroll, were eliminated in a tricky dry/wet Q2 phase.

Both Sainz and Stroll were penalized post-session. Sainz was deemed guilty of obstructing Pierre Gasly at the end of Q1, while Stroll was found to have held up Ocon during the Q2 phase.

Alex Albon from Williams leveraged the varying conditions during Q2, making an early switch to soft tires, rising to P1 before more rain hit, and ended up in the top 10, trailing Piastri in the pole shootout.

Both Leclerc and Perez had to accept the 11th and 12th spots on the grid after failing to make the cut in treacherous conditions during Q2. This led to an angry radio message from Leclerc when his elimination was confirmed.

Stroll, another major player, missed out on Q3 after a messy session that included a wild spin, and ended up 13th, followed by Kevin Magnussen from Haas and Valtteri Bottas from Alfa Romeo.

AlphaTauri lost both drivers in the initial Q1 phase, with Yuki Tsunoda in 16th and Nyck de Vries in 18th, as Gasly experienced a disappointing elimination in 17th after an encounter with Sainz. Tsunoda was the final driver to receive a three-place penalty for impeding Hulkenberg.

Logan Sargeant from Williams managed to secure the 19th position in his upgrade-free car, while Zhou Guanyu from Alfa Romeo had to settle for the last spot after technical issues plagued his run.

The qualifying session began in wet conditions, with intermediates being the preferred choice of tires. After a dry first day at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, the weather took a turn for the worse, drenching the track and setting the scene for a wet and windy final practice and qualifying session.

Despite the rain easing off, the track surface remained extremely slippery as drivers prepared for their initial runs. However, before any laps could be recorded.

The qualifying session for the 2023 Canadian F1 Grand Prix was a dramatic affair dominated by wet weather, which saw Red Bull's Max Verstappen clinch pole position. Nico Hulkenberg, driving for Haas, initially managed a surprise second-place finish due to a well-timed effort, only to be later penalized for a red flag violation and pushed down to fifth position.

The session began with Verstappen posting an impressive 1m 25.858s time in Q3's early stages, securing a firm grip on pole position amid challenging conditions. This was shortly before McLaren rookie Oscar Piastri rear-ended the wall at Turn 7, resulting in a red flag.

In the final moments before the session was halted, Hulkenberg delivered a strong lap to secure a spot on the front row. However, a subsequent downpour during the break ensured that no improvements could be made when the action resumed. Following a post-session review, Hulkenberg was handed a three-place grid penalty for a red flag violation.

Third place was secured by Fernando Alonso for Aston Martin, with the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell taking fourth and fifth places respectively, all benefitting from Hulkenberg's sanction. Esteban Ocon took the sixth spot for Alpine, Lando Norris was seventh for McLaren, and Carlos Sainz emerged as the fastest of the Ferraris.

The session was not without its share of controversy and disappointment. Several drivers, including Sainz and Stroll, received penalties for impeding other drivers during the session. Promising drivers like Leclerc and Perez had to settle for P11 and P12 respectively, missing the cut under precarious Q2 conditions. This resulted in a heated radio message from Leclerc when his fate was sealed.

Overall, the session was a test of drivers' abilities to adapt to changing weather conditions and challenging track conditions. As the qualifying session got underway in wet conditions, Verstappen and Alonso showed remarkable skill, quickly finding their pace and trading fastest times on several occasions. Verstappen managed to clock in at 1m 21.988s, just half a tenth faster than Alonso.

Last year's pole position time was a 1:21.299 min, set by Max Verstappen with the Red Bull RB18 driven on a set of intermediate tyres.

Qualifying Times 2023 Canadian GP

Penalties:

• Carlos Sainz, Ferrari #55 received a 3 places grid penalty fo impeding other drivers
• Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri received a 3 places grid penalty fo impeding other drivers
• Lance Stroll, Aston Martin #18 received a 3 places grid penalty fo impeding other drivers
• Nico Hulkenberg, Haas #27 received a a 3 places grid penalty for a red-flag infringement during qualifying

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