Canadian Grand Prix: Max Verstappen takes pole in chaotic wet qualifying as Nico Hulkenberg grabs front-row spot

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took his third consecutive pole in a rain-disrupted Canadian GP qualifying session as Nico Hulkenberg of Haas earned a stunning spot on the front row.

Wild weather in Montreal made for an eventful and unpredictable session, yet the one constant of the season continued as Verstappen finished top of the time sheets for the fifth time in 2023.

“In the wet you just have to stay on top of the conditions,” said Verstappen.

“It was super slippery out there in some places, but we just made all the right calls, the right time on the track to do the lap times, and I’m very happy to be on pole here.

“I like driving in the wet. I come from Holland, so we are used to driving in the wet.”

Hulkenberg timed a flying run to perfection to earn the third front-row start of his career and the first ever for Haas, setting the second-fastest time just before a red flag stopped Q3 and heavy rain swept in to halt racing altogether.

Fernando Alonso came third, with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell rounding out the top five, but the big-name casualties were Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez, who went out in Q2.

“It was a wild Qualy, crazy. Changing conditions are tricky, especially around here,” said Hulkenberg.

“Wet, dry and back to wet, you have to readjust all the time. This was a bit unexpected but I’m very happy and proud. It was super smooth, so very happy.”

The wet and slippery surface took one victim during the final practice session when Carlos Sainz crashed into a barrier at Turn 1, but the Ferrari mechanics managed to repair the damage in time for qualifying.

A red flag appeared soon after racing started when a mechanical issue forced Zhou Guanyu to pull over and stop, but his Alfa Romeo was soon moving again and a lengthy postponement was avoided.

Once racing resumed several drivers, including Hamilton, went off track as they wrestled for control of their cars in difficult conditions, with Alonso and Verstappen setting the benchmark times early on.

Russell was the highest-profile driver to find himself towards the bottom as the clock ticked towards five minutes remaining, but the Mercedes man soon shot up to fifth to relieve any worries.

Verstappen finished top of the time sheets at the end of Q1, followed by Alonso and Hamilton, but it was a session to forget for Yuki Tsunoda as he was eliminated and put under investigation for impeding Leclerc.

Pierre Gasly was the highest-profile driver to go out early, leaving the Frenchman furious after an incident requiring investigation where he was blocked by Sainz during his final lap, while Nyck de Vries, Logan Sargeant and Zhou Guanyu were also eliminated.

Alex Albon of Williams was one of the first to change to soft tyres and quickly shot to the top of the leaderboard with a superb time of 1:18.725 that his rivals couldn’t better even after switching to slicks.

Lance Stroll lost control of his car and slid down the track at Turn 5 but somehow avoided any damage.

The Canadian was one of those in danger of elimination, along with big-name drivers Perez and Leclerc, as heavy rain approached and the brave spectators fastened their ponchos and raincoats.

And in a big shock, neither driver was able to recover, leaving Leclerc screaming in frustration that his tyres weren’t ready as he had to settle for 11th, with Perez behind in 12th.

Stroll, Kevin Magnussen and Valtteri Bottas were the other drivers to fail to make it to Q3, while Albon finished fastest followed by Verstappen and Lando Norris.

As torrential rain arrived on track, the drivers were determined to set some fast lap times as quickly as possible, and Verstappen soon set the mark to beat ahead of Alonso.

But with seven minutes remaining, Oscar Piastri’s McLaren went into the wall and a red flag stopped the session.

Hulkenberg crossed the line in a superb second place just before the stop, and once racing restarted the Haas driver’s chances of an unlikely front-row spot looked good as heavy rain slowed everybody down.

With 90 seconds to go, the Haas garage was already celebrating their success as every car was in the garage and refusing to risk a run on the sodden track.

Canadian GP qualifying results