Canada – Qualifications: Vettel Master of Montreal in the Rain

After a third free practice session disrupted by the repair of a rail and shortened by 30 minutes, the qualifying session begins in the rain in Montreal.

Q1: Even if it rains, the drivers decide to leave the pits with dry tires. But after Räikkönen passes through the grass and Chilton spins out, the conditions are ultimately not ideal, and the majority of the drivers return to the pits to fit intermediate tires better suited to these conditions.

Jean-Eric Vergne is the first to set a time, 1:28.204 for the Frenchman at the wheel of his Toro Rosso. But this time is quickly improved by Massa then Hamilton and Rosberg. With 10 minutes remaining, Sebastian Vettel takes the lead ahead of Mark Webber. Vettel, Rosberg, and Hamilton trade the best time lap after lap, and finally, it’s the Red Bull driver who finishes the session in the lead ahead of Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber, and Valtteri Bottas.

On the side of the eliminated, we find Paul di Resta and Romain Grosjean alongside the Caterham and Marussia drivers. A bad operation for both men and especially for the Lotus driver, who will have to add 10 places and therefore will start last.

**Eliminated in Q1:** di Resta, Pic, Grosjean, Bianchi, Chilton, and van der Garde

Q2: This second part of the qualifications takes place in the rain, and the drivers continue on intermediates. Vergne is the first driver to set a timed lap, but his time is quickly surpassed by Mark Webber.

The rain has intensified, and the drivers are struggling to stay on track or brake properly. We see many minor off-track excursions or corner cutting but without much consequence. After setting the best times in the first two sectors, Vettel cuts the last chicane and has to settle for the 6th fastest time. But in the following lap, the German takes the lead.

Five minutes before the end of Q2, both McLarens are eliminated, as is Felipe Massa, while Bottas is 10th. The Finn improves to take 3rd place as Webber takes the lead. Pérez manages to enter the top 10 in 7th place as well.

With a little over 2 minutes left in Q2, Massa loses control of his Ferrari while braking. The yellow flag is waved initially, but eventually, the red flag is displayed with 1 minute and 59 seconds remaining. Massa, who only had the 15th fastest time, is thus eliminated.

When the session resumes, all the drivers have already been waiting for several seconds at the end of the pit lane. Vettel does not complete this lap, and Button and Webber fail to cross the timing line before the checkered flag. It’s elimination for Button, and there will be no McLaren in Q3 because Pérez, despite a last timed lap, did not manage to enter the top 10. Maldonado and the two Sauber drivers are also eliminated while the two Toro Rosso drivers and Bottas advance to Q3.

Eliminated in Q2: Hülkenberg, Pérez, Maldonado, Button, Gutiérrez, and Massa

Q3: The rain is still present when Q3 begins, but the track is still wet, and the drivers are on intermediates. Everyone, except Bottas, takes to the track as soon as the green flag is waved. After the initial laps, Vettel is in the lead ahead of Hamilton and Rosberg. Following a mistake, Webber is in 9th, but in the next lap, he improves and sets the 5th fastest time. The surprise guest is Valtteri Bottas, who sets the 3rd fastest time.

For the second round of laps, the drivers fail to improve, except for Sutil who manages to climb to 8th place. It is therefore Sebastian Vettel who secures pole position in Montreal, ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, the surprise guest, who places his Williams in 3rd on the grid. Next are Rosberg, Webber, Alonso, Vergne, Sutil, Räikkönen, and Ricciardo.

Results of the 2013 Canadian Grand Prix qualifying: