Alonso, Gasly and Vettel the first three of FP3 in Canada. And now we're really salivating! It closes in a pouring rain and the best time of a fantastic Fernando Alonso the last practice session in Canada. Pierre gasly e Sebastian Hag they close the top 3 and give us a taste of what we could see in this crazy qualifying, which sensationally does not seem within the reach of Red Bull, given the conditions in which the two riders lapped both out of the top 5. Consult the standings of FP3Who will take pole?
Wet Saturday, lucky Saturday?
It continues to rain a lot in Montreal. A situation that complicates the plans of the teams, who will have to face qualifying and the race on two totally different tracks. If showers are forecast for tonight, the weather should return one for tomorrow dry race in Canada.
During the last free practice session, not all the drivers immediately took to the track. Max Verstappen began his work with the RB18 half an hour after the start of the session. This was due to the rather prohibitive conditions in Canada, both in terms of visibility and the grip of the single-seater, which is difficult to drive on a track without grip. There are several riders who had to correct themselves several times to avoid the walls. A mistake now would be fatal, in view of qualifying.
All open for Pole
In this conditions i are different pilots who want to challenge themselves e take advantage of someone else's mistake. Especially in qualifying. Just look at the standings 10 minutes from the end to understand what awaits us in qualifying. Alonso, Vettel, Sainz, Tsunoda and Stroll in the top 5. Excluding tsunoda, who will start from the last row for having fitted ECU number 3, the situation in qualifying is starting to get interesting. Just the two old lions, Sebastian Vettel e Fernando Alonso they challenged each other with fast laps. Both, together with Hamilton – 15th in practice – they are the only drivers active in Formula 1 to have taken a pole position in Canada. We also remind you that we have deployed them both in the formation recommended at Fanta F1.
Red Bull risks qualifying?
What to do at home Red Bull? if we look for both riders we find them in the middle of the standings, in eighth position with Perez and ninth with Verstappen. The car can't stay on the track, and the long by Max Verstappen towards the end of the session. In these conditions the perspectives for qualifications they are not the best, especially for pole. Who want to sacrifice qualifying to focus on the race?
Ferrari bets and changes everything!
In the meantime, the confirmation to the most awaited news of the weekend. The Maranello team communicated that Power Unit number 1 was mounted on Leclerc's F75-4a new turbo, ICE, MGU-H e MGU-K. The combination of all these penalties, added to the one arrived yesterday, of 10 positions for change of control unit they will bring the monaco a start from the bottom of the grill – together with tsunoda – hoping for a sensational comeback.
Losing 10 or 20 positions really wouldn't have made all that difference. And the team necessarily had to unmark the units on two different days, assembling in the free practice 1 ICE, MGU-H and MGU-K number 3 , unit in free practice 2, to show up the next day with an all-new Power Unit – number 4 – with fresh elements, including the Turbo. Racing with old elements was never in Ferrari's plans. It was the ECU change in free practice 2 that "confirmed" the hypothesis about the plans at home Ferrari, that worked differently than Red Bull did, aware that the qualification would have had no value, having to start regardless of the last position.
News also for Sainz!
So a different solution was tried, risky in the Ferrari house, but not so much if you think about how many surprises Canada can give us. An obligatory choice, given the great handicap in terms of reliability that involved the Rossa and also all the Ferrari-powered ones in the last few races. But that will bring Charles two fresh engines, for the price of a single, big penalty.
As a precaution, Ferrari preferred to fit one new Power Unit, the 3, even on the single-seater with the Spanish Carlos Sainz – 10th in FP3 – first striker of the Maranello team for this weekend. In case Charles were to participate in the qualifications, he could also give Sainz a trail, still chasing the first pole and victory in his career. But that's only if qualifying takes place in dry conditions. However, Charles could have a great wildcard in the race, not having to choose a compromise in the wet or dry set-up.
So, roll your eyes and a nice cup of coffee to accompany you while you wait because the Qualifying starts at 22pm!
