Switching to intermediate tires at the Gilles Villeneuve drying track, Verstappen clocked a time of 1m 21.299s, leaving 0.645s out of the pack, led by Alonso – who will make his first start in the front row since taking pole in Germany 10 years ago. Completing the top three was Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, whose teammate Charles Leclerc is set to start the P19 after acquiring new power unit components. Lewis Hamilton showed his bravery for wet weather to get the P4, in view of a great performance for Haas drivers Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher, who share third place in the P5 and P6. 1 Max Verstappen VER Red Bull Racing 1: 21.299 2 Fernando Alonso ALO ​​Alpine 1: 21.944 3 Carlos Sainz SAI Ferrari 1: 22.096 4 Lewis Hamilton HAM Mercedes 1: 22.891 5 Kevin Magnussen 2 Team MAG6 Esteban Ocon claimed the P7 ahead of George Russell’s second Mercedes – an attempt to make a lap in slicks in the final stages that did nothing for the Englishman as he turned 2 – with Daniel Ricciardo leading Zhou Guanyu . The Chinese driver made his first appearance in Q3, but will be investigated after the session for violation in turn 14. Valteri Botas was 11th, ahead of Alex Albon’s Williams, after Sergio Perez – who crashed his Red Bull from Q2, flying red flags – ahead of Lando Norris, the Briton facing a power problem. Leclerc was P15, but will retreat on penalties, promoting Pierre Gasly, Sebastian Vettel, Lance Stroll and Nicholas Latifi, who all fell in Q1. Yuki Tsunoda will be behind the pitch, having also been punished by the engine for power changes. More … Qualifying Highlights: Canadian Grand Prix 2022

AS IT HAPPENED

Q1 – FP3 stars Vettel and Gasly fail as both Canadians leave

Race Control made no reference to the weather before the qualifiers, confirming that the risk of rain was 100% – with all runners properly spending the starting section on extreme rain tires. “The plan is to take time off the board early at the risk of red and yellow flags,” Pete Bonnington, a Hamilton engineer, told his driver. “I can not see much in front of me,” Hamilton replied. Conditions were certainly difficult – but the 20 drivers started to cross the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, with Max Verstappen leading the 1m 32.219s, ahead of the Alpine of Alonso, driving nicely in the wet, driving the FP3 in similar conditions. Q1 would witness some big hairs, with Pierre Gasly and Sebastian Vettel ignoring the conditions and leaving – the pair were P2 and P3 in FP3, Vettel visibly disappointed with the team’s radio. There was also disappointment for the home crowd, with Montreal-born runners Lance Stroll and Nicholas Latifi coming out in Q1, along with Yuki Tsunoda’s second AlphaTauri penalty shooter, who took the P20. Charles Leclerc, who will also start from the big grid after getting a number of new power unit components, moved on to Q2 in P5, while Alex Albon also impressed by making his Williams debut in Q2 after Bahrain. Knockouts: Gasley, Vettel, Stroll, Latifi, Chunoda Vettel was a shocking Q1 exit after his P3 in practice

Q2 – Verstappen heads Alonso again as Perez smash flies red flags

A handful of drivers swallowed their brave pills and headed for Q2 with green walls in between, Hamilton – who came out in the wet – saying the conditions were “definitely on the crossover, very close”. Albon and Perez may have begged to differ, the mid-size runners both found the wall at turns 6 and 3 respectively early in the section, the two drivers slid away and hit the obstacles. The Albon bump looked pretty harmless, causing little visible damage – although Williams changed his front wing – but Perez damaged his front wing and could not find his rear RB18, leaving him stuck in the TECPRO and taking out a red flag. The Mexican was forced to climb out of the car and cross the park back into the paddocks, with his qualifications ending one day when Red Bull would very much like to gain their advantage over Leclerc who was hit by a penalty. Canada G22 Qualifiers 2022: Pérez pulls out red flags after hitting the dam in Q2
Despite the blows from Albon and Perez, all the remaining runners returned to the internet for the remaining nine minutes, Leclerc – happy to park because of his penalties – and Norris, who reported a power failure at his McLaren. , the Briton heads with three minutes to retire to the pits, his problem is clearly not solved. As the track improved, times fell, but the first two closed the same with Q1, with Verstappen again ahead of Alonso with 1m 23.746s. Along with Perez, Norris and Leclerc in the relegation zone were Bottas and Albon – the top-ranked Thai driver of the season, but not enough to give Williams a first Q3 of the year. Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu made his first appearance in Q3 at P7, as Mick Schumacher also impressed with his second appearance in the top 10 shoot-outs, along with his Haas teammate Kevin Magnussen. These Haases, Mercedes and Alpines were the only three teams with two cars in Q3. Knockouts: Botas, Albon, Pereth, Norris, Leclerc In difficult conditions, it was even more impressive for Zhou to make his first appearance in Q3, on his first outing in Montreal.

Q3 – Verstappen and Alonso 1-2 once again as the Dutchman claims the pole

Under the circumstances, you would not be betting against anyone taking pole position in the Montreal derby on Saturday. The opening game saw Verstappen lead Sainz and Alonso, while Schumacher did well to enter the P4. But the track was changing minute by minute, corner by corner, with the times continuing to improve. Was it dry enough for stains? George Russell thought it was worth a turn, but a clipper came in turn 2, spinning on the grass in a move that would leave him with a P8. Nothing dared… Verstappen, however, flew and hit the 1m 21. 299s properly in his final lap to get his 15th career pole. But it was Alonso who amused the crowd, the two-time champion sliding across the Champions Wall in his last attempt to claim the P2 – Alonso was surprisingly the fastest Spaniard as he took on his defender Carlos Sainz, who took third place. Hamilton made his debut in the top four of the year, ahead of happy Haas boys Magnussen and Schumacher – as Ocon, Russell, Ricciardo and Zhou finished in the top 10 after an unforgettable Canadian qualifier. Canada 2022 Qualifiers: Russell’s dangerous move in slicks ends in a spin

The main quote

“Of course, I still expect it will not be a simple race,” Verstappen said after securing pole for his 150th Grand Prix. “But I think today with the difficult conditions we remained calm, we did not make mistakes and we had the right calls in Q3, of course very happy that we got the pole position here. Also, to get back here in Montreal, it’s been a while and it’s great to see all the fans. “You really get the feel of a go-kart with the really right curbs around here, so we always enjoy driving here and looking forward to tomorrow.”

What happens next?

The Canadian Grand Prix 2022 starts at 14:00 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Will it be the number six consecutive win for a Red Bull this season? Or can Alonso use his experience to enter the race for his first victory since Spain in 2013?