Everyone has been assuming that Champioonship leader Lewis Hamilton would be an automatic shoo-in for his seventh Montreal pole and the others might as well mail in their performances. But as in motor racing, there were other factors at work.
Canada is the seventh race of the season. The FIA allows each team three engines per car for the season. If any in excess of this number are fitted, the entry is subjected to draconian penalties that can leave it stating from 21st place, with even a place in the point stanfings at risk for the driver. But for strategic reasons they don't discuss, when a team has its legal changes ready for the second engine, it likes to run it a race early. Everyone did that this week except Mercedes - and Hamilton paid the price. In addition, Pirelli came out with a new "hypersoft" tread compound which seemed to perform far better on the Red Bull cars than on either Ferrari oor Mercedes.
Ferrari, with ne new engine, thus finally got Vettel on the pole with a course-record speed. Raikkonen would have joined him but bobbled on the critical run, letting a highly charged-up Bottas to dig down deep for a bette time in his Mercedes. The irrepressible Max Verstappen with is daring moves and on tirees possibly giving his a starting advantage slots in between Vettel and Raikkonen, with both of whom he has some history, beside Hamilton for the start. Daniel Ricciardo for Red Bull completes row three. Given these positions and the track configuration, on e could run an interesting lottery on who will complete lap one.
Montreal is a very fast track with treacherous turns and the instiable Wall of Champions wating to administer a lesson to even rhe most expert of drivers should he make the slightest of miscalulations. Take nothing for granted, except that Le Circuit Gilles Villeneuve will produce racinng that would please the ghost of the Champion for which it is named.
FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX HEINEKEN DU CANADA 2018 - QUALIFYING
08 10 Jun 2018 Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal
Heineken
Race sponsor
Qualifying
Pos No Driver Car Q1 Q2 Q3 Laps
1 5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:11.710 1:11.524 1:10.764 18
2 77 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:11.950 1:11.514 1:10.857 20
3 33 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer 1:12.008 1:11.472 1:10.937 16
4 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:11.835 1:11.740 1:10.996 21
5 7 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:11.725 1:11.620 1:11.095 20
6 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer 1:12.459 1:11.434 1:11.116 18
7 27 Nico Hulkenberg Renault 1:12.795 1:11.916 1:11.973 15
8 31 Esteban Ocon Force India Mercedes 1:12.577 1:12.141 1:12.084 14
9 55 Carlos Sainz Renault 1:12.689 1:12.097 1:12.168 15
10 11 Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes 1:12.702 1:12.395 1:12.671 13
11 20 Kevin Magnussen Haas Ferrari 1:12.680 1:12.606 22
12 28 Brendon Hartley Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda 1:12.587 1:12.635 17
13 16 Charles Leclerc Sauber Ferrari 1:12.945 1:12.661 22
14 14 Fernando Alonso McLaren Renault 1:12.979 1:12.856 14
15 2 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren Renault 1:12.998 1:12.865 14
16 10 Pierre Gasly Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda 1:13.047 8
17 18 Lance Stroll Williams Mercedes 1:13.590 8
18 35 Sergey Sirotkin Williams Mercedes 1:13.643 10
19 9 Marcus Ericsson Sauber Ferrari 1:14.593 6
Q1 107% time - 1:16.729
Note - Grosjean failed to meet 107% Q1 requirement - races at stewards' discretion.