As expected, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen claimed pole position for tomorrow’s 2023 Canadian Grand Prix, but after that, everything else was mostly unexpected.
Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate, Sergio Perez, was eliminated in the second qualifying session as rain encroached upon the proceedings and he took Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc along with him in a surprising double elimination of podium contenders.
The rain-drenched third qualifying session saw Verstappen throw down the fastest time and Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg snatch a surprise front row spot away from Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, who will start in the second row alongside seven-time Formula One world champion, Lewis Hamilton, of Mercedes. Both Verstappen and Hulkenberg, however, set their times on soft tires while both Alonso and Hamilton’s times were set on intermediate tires. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri crashed, bringing out a red flag which closed the session.
Hulkenberg, however, was later assessed with a three-place grid penalty for speeding during Piastri’s red flag.
