Max Verstappen will start Monday’s (4am AEST) Canadian Grand Prix from pole position after a wet and wild qualifying in Montreal shook up the grid – and promises to deliver a sizzling race.
Verstappen is ahead of Fernando Alonso, while his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez crashed in Q2 and Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc will start last of the grid after changing a power unit.
Daniel Ricciardo will start ninth, while Mick Schumacher (sixth) and China’s Zhou Guanyu (10th) each nabbed the best qualifying performances of their careers.
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Meanwhile, Mercedes enjoyed a great day with Lewis Hamilton delivering an impressive P4 after a smooth day of running.
All in all, the grid is full of surprises from first to last, which is set to provide a thrilling race characterized by strategic risks and aggressive charges up the field from drivers like Leclerc and Perez.
It comes after Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff unloaded on rival bosses over their handling of the porpoising issue.
With his drivers suffering from bumpy rides more than others, Wolff has led the calls for change, with the FIA finally intervening with some slight rule changes to limit the impact this weekend.
But he reportedly “lost his s**t” in a “wide-eyed rant” during a meeting of team principals over their inaction.
Wolff is said to have suggested the other teams were trying to gain a competitive advantage by not changing the rules.
“This is a sport where you’re trying to keep a competitive advantage or gain it,” he said. “But this situation has clearly gone too far.
“All drivers, at least one in every team, have said that they were in pain after Baku, that they had difficulty in keeping the car on track or blurred vision.
“Team principals trying to manipulate what is being said in order to keep the competitive advantage and trying to play political games when the FIA tries to come up with a quick solution, to at least put the cars in a better position, is disingenuous. And that’s what I said.
“I’m not only talking about the Mercedes: all of the cars suffered in some way or other in Baku, and still do it here. The cars are too stiff. The cars bounce or whatever you want to call it.
“We have long term effects that we can’t even judge. But at any time this is a safety risk, and then coming up with little manipulations in the background, or Chinese whispers, or briefing the drivers, is just pitiful.”
QUALI REPORT: Veteran’s ‘insane’ qualy stunner; Max stars in brutal session
WOLFF ATTACK: Mercedes boss ‘lost his s**t’ in furious ‘wide-eyed rant’ at rivals
F1 TALKING POINTS: Curveball puts dream Max result under ‘attack’; Schumacher’s timely statement
CANADIAN GP STARTING GRID
1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
2) Fernando Alonso, Alpine
3) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
4) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
5) Kevin Magnussen, Haas
6) Mick Schumacher. Haas
7) Esteban Ocon, Alpine
8) George Russell, Mercedes
9) Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren
10) Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo
11) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo
12) Alex Albon, Williams
13) Sergio Perez, Red Bull
14) Lando Norris, McLaren
15) Pierre Gasly, Alpha Tauri
16) Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin
17) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
18) Nicholas Latifi, Williams
19) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
20) Yuki Tsunoda, Alpha Tauri
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