The one seen in qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix is the perfect scenario to increase the incidence of the pilot variable compared to that dictated by the performance of the car. It is not an overtaking of hierarchies, because the goodness of a car always remains fundamental, but what a driver can add in variable track conditions is greater than usual, and in Montreal the conditions seen in qualifying were very difficult.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB18
Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images
There was no lap like the next. The session started in wet conditions from full-wet, but it was immediately clear that lap after lap the trajectory tended to dry out. In the Q2 session everyone moved on to the intermediates, and in Q3 George Russell also dared a run with the slicks, aborted due to a spin.
With the asphalt gradually drying out, the drivers were called upon to rely on instinct, with each passage the braking points were getting closer and closer to the curves, the speed of travel increased and the point at which to accelerate was anticipated. Between the very first laps of Q1 and the last of Q3 the times dropped by 15 seconds!
Pole man Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, celebrates on the starting grid
Photo by: Patrick Vinet / Sutton images
In this scenario, Max Verstappen emerged, as expected, found himself in his natural habitat. The seven tenths trimmed to the excellent Fernando Alonso (first of the pursuers) say a lot about what the Dutchman is able to do in conditions of precarious grip, and just as indicative was the difference in pace compared to Sergio Perez.
Verstappen had to face the greatest difficulties in Q1: “It wasn’t easy, the visibility was really poor, and with all the cars on the track, finding a free lap is always a problem. If you slow down too much, to get some space before you launch, the tires cool down and you lose grip, but luckily in Q2 and Q3 the situation improved, and when the track started to dry I started to have a bit more grip , a good feeling “.
The top three qualifiers Carlos Sainz, Ferrari, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Fernando Alonso, Alpine F1 Team
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
For Verstappen, the good news came after the red flag caused precisely by Perez’s off-track in Q2, when it became very clear that the tire to be used would be the intermediate, or the ‘shoe’ that enhances the RB18 the most. , as already seen at the Imola weekend.
From that moment on Max seemed to have an extra gear, an impression that was later confirmed up to the checkered flag.
“I also had the impression that on this track the front for insertion is better – he revealed – a nice surprise for me, we hope it will be confirmed on other tracks as well”.
Everything seems set to serve Verstappen’s sixth win of the season, but the history of the Canadian Grand Prix teaches us that races with surprising final results are at home here.
“If we then look at the long-runs on Friday, we see that the margins between us and Ferrari are reduced – reiterated Verstappen – I expect Carlos will be very close, it will be an interesting race”.
Max, on the other hand, does not seem to fear Alonso: “On the first lap you never know – he explained with a smile – but I don’t want to concede anything. Normally they are not our direct rivals (the reference is to Alonso and Alpine) and we just have to focus on our performance ”.
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