Verstappen on pole in Montreal – Hulkenberg transferred as a penalty

In qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix on Saturday, the Dutchman secured the 25th pole position of his career. The surprise in the initially changeable conditions and then increasingly heavy rain was provided by the German Nico Hülkenberg, who originally placed his Haas in second place. However, he was later demoted to fifth place.

violation

Hulkenberg was accused of breaking the rules. After the turbulent qualifying session on Saturday, the race stewards relegated the Haas driver down three places because he had been too fast on the track in Montreal when the red flag was given.

The 35-year-old had previously driven sensationally into the front row of the grid, only seconds later the unit was interrupted due to an accident by McLaren driver Oscar Piastri. However, the race stewards then judged that Hülkenberg had not adhered to the speed limit that was in force on his next lap.

In addition to Dutchman Vertasppen, instead of Hülkenberg, Spaniard Fernando Alonso will start second in the Aston Martin from the front row. “Yesterday wasn’t fantastic, so we made some changes to the car,” explained Verstappen, who was 1.2 seconds faster than Hulkenberg. “It was very slippery, but we made the right decisions and of course we’re very happy to be on pole here. It might be dry tomorrow, but we have a good race car.”

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc (11th) and World Championship runner-up Sergio Perez (12th) in the Red Bull fell by the wayside in Q2. The best time in this segment was set by Williams driver Alexander Albon, who finally ended up in tenth place. The Thai-Brit put on the dry tires at the right moment. On a wet track, the competition found no remedy in Q3 against rain specialist Verstappen, for whom a fast lap was enough.

turner

The session was red flagged with 7:11 left on the clock after Oscar Piastri’s McLaren stalled in the middle of the course after it spun. After qualifying resumed, the ground was even wetter, so Verstappen stayed ahead of Hülkenberg.

Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished fourth and fifth. According to the forecasts, it will probably remain dry for the race on Sunday (8 p.m. CEST/live ServusTV, Sky).

Verstappen then chases his 41st Grand Prix victory. If he succeeds, the 25-year-old would have done as many in his career as triple champion Ayrton Senna, who died in 1994. For Red Bull it is about the 100th victory since the team was founded. The Austro-British racing team contested its first season in Formula 1 in 2005.