Canadian GP: Verstappen in pole position. Leclerc disaster, eleventh: “I don’t agree with Ferrari on the choice of tyres”

Rain slippery and crazy qualifying, in Montreal. Grid messed up, except for the poleman: Max Verstappen. It’s the 25th in his career for the Dutchman, the fifth this season as absolute ruler, the fourth in a row, the second in Canada after that of 2022. Excellent start for the GP that could lead him to success number 41 and hook Ayrton Seine. He and his Red Bull simply play in another championship: they work in all conditions and against all unexpected events. Max: “In the wet you always have to be on your toes, pay close attention, we made the right decisions. I like driving in these conditions, I come from Holland and we’re used to the rain. The race? Maybe it won’t rain, but normally we have a good car “. More: amazing.

Which never fails. At least in his hands: Sergio Perez eliminated in Q2. Qualifying ends about a minute before the checkered flag, the flood interrupts the activities when behind Max there are Hulkenberg’s Haas (incredibly) and less surprisingly Alonso’s Aston Marton. The Spaniard: “It wasn’t easy, you had to understand when to make choices and make them right”. Indeed. Behind him the Mercedes of Hamilton and Russell.

And in the best weekend for the Ferraris, judging by the race pace on Friday, the reds drown. Charles Leclerc rejected in Q2, will start 11th. He hasn’t found the time with tires unsuitable for the variables of the weather: he asks for dry tires and they give him the intermediates, when it starts to rain again the switch to slicks and wet ones comes too late. With just one shot at the end of the clock, he goes wide complaining that the tires were ready. He screams. Then to the microphones: “It wasn’t difficult to read that the track was dry, I don’t know why we stayed with the intermediates in the dry and with the slicks in the wet. We make life difficult for ourselves when it could have been easy. I disagree with the team this time? No”.

Not much better for Carlos Sainz, 8th: an accident in the last free practice, his red was quickly reassembled (rear, gearbox, front wing) for qualifying, but perhaps some confusion remains in the Spaniard. He hinders Gasly’s Alpine (eliminated in Q1), risks three penalty positions but will be investigated at the end of the session. The same thing had happened to him in free practice 3 with Albon without suffering any consequences. The aftermath is another very, very uphill race.