Canadian GP – Qualifying: Vettel once again!

Q1: It is very cloudy as the light turns green at the end of the pit lane. Rain is not ruled out for this qualifying session. The Virgin cars are the first to hit the track, quickly followed by the HRTs. Jérôme d’Ambrosio is the first to record a time with a lap of 2:25.336. This time is quickly improved, notably by Heidfeld with 1:17.120. There are many drivers on the track at the start of the session, and the times keep improving.

Many drivers flirt with the rail, like De La Rosa and Alguersuari. Nine minutes before the end of this first part of qualifying, Jérôme d’Ambrosio and Karthikeyan are not qualified. The 107% mark is around 1:18.9 and the Indian and the Belgian are lapping in 1:19.081 and 1:20.053 respectively.

At the end of the first part of qualifying, Karthikeyan manages to qualify. His teammate goes off the track in turn 9 while Jérôme d’Ambrosio sets off for a final attempt to qualify for the Canadian Grand Prix. The Virgin driver finishes in 1:19.414, he is unlikely to take part in the race tomorrow.

Eliminated in Q1: Alguersuari, Trulli, Kovalainen, Liuzzi, Glock, Karthikeyan, d’Ambrosio.

Q2: The threat of rain is clearly present, and many drivers hit the track at the start of this second part of qualifying. Maldonado, who is experiencing this circuit for the first time, slightly grazes the grass in a chicane. The Venezuelan is P13 with nine minutes remaining in Q2. Webber is the fastest with a 1:13.654. The RB7 is, once again, very competitive and will be the car to beat in Q3. Alonso is positioned between the two drivers of the Austrian team. Christian Horner is watching the sky closely, as rain might appear before the end of the qualifying session.

At the end of Q2, the big guns are in the pits while the eliminated drivers try to get into the top 10. This is the case for Rubens Barrichello and Paul di Resta, in particular. Kamui Kobayashi, 12th, improves in the first sector but makes a mistake in the second. Michael Schumacher observes it all from his seat in the Mercedes GP pit.

Eliminated in Q2: di Resta, Maldonado, Kobayashi, Sutil, Buemi, Barrichello, de la Rosa.

Q3: The lights turn green, and once again all the drivers leave the pits to set a time before the rain possibly appears. Hamilton sets a provisional pole at 1:13.945. Massa quickly improves it with a time of 1:13.820. Vettel leaves everyone behind by improving by more than eight-tenths. 1:13.014 for the world champion. Behind, the two Ferraris are lurking two-tenths behind the Red Bull, with Massa ahead of Alonso. The Brazilian is on form at this circuit.

At Mercedes, they focused on a single timed lap, likely to preserve a set of tires for the race. Rosberg is in sixth place and Schumacher is in 8th.

Fernando Alonso improves the first sector but falls short by 9 tenths. Massa also tries to displace Vettel but without success. The same goes for Mark Webber, who retains his fourth place. At the very end of the session, Alonso improves and takes second position. Sebastian Vettel secures another pole position with both Ferraris close behind.

Qualification results