Fernando Alonso wrote a great story in qualifying. We had the impression that we would see the former world champion again at some point.
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With a superb lap in the final moments of Q3, the Alpine rider secured a front row start. A surprise result that made the spectators happy. Not bad for a pilot who turns 41 next July.
For Alonso it is the best qualifying result since 2012. His last win? It dates back to 2013 when he defended Ferrari colors.
“We took first place in the last free practice session. “We had a good car on a wet track,” said Alonso at the World Automobile Federation (FIA) press conference. The track was drier from the end of Q2 but we didn’t affect our performance too much. Our car was faster today [samedi]. At the weekend we are competitive.
Alonso is a tough competitor. Even if he doesn’t have a high-performance car like Max Verstappen’s, he wants to start from the first corner. Despite this, he keeps both feet on the ground.
“Realistically, I don’t know what opportunities we’ll have tomorrow. [dimanche]. We could fight for the top 5. We have a good starting position, but we also know our limits. If the Red Bulls and Ferraris start from the bottom, they can finish well ahead of us. I think the top 4 are set in stone. It would be a win for us.”
Conservative Verstappen
Max Verstappen, who takes pole position despite the moody weather, will look to continue his dominance by claiming a fifth win in his last six races.
We could see another great performance from him while the sun is at the rendezvous.
“We should have rhythm. We are aware that the Ferraris will be close to us. It should be an interesting race.”
First, there is a generation gap between Verstappen (24) and Alonso (40).
“I’ve wanted to be at the front with him for a long time. It’s positive. I saw him in Formula 1 when I was little, winning races and championships. Even though he’s getting older, he’s still capable of being fast.
Meanwhile, his two closest pursuers in the championship, his team-mate Sergio Perez (13th) and Charles Leclerc (19th), will not be in his field of vision. He was able to use the opportunity to build up a comfortable lead.
To enable him to set the best time in qualifying, the Red Bull team decided to be conservative. She resisted the temptation to take the wet tires from Verstappen for the final session.
“That was never a possibility,” said the world champion. There was too much water in some places along the route. On others the path was drier. We don’t like to take such risks in qualifying.
Competitive Sainz
For his part, Carlos Sainz confirmed that the Ferrari has a good chance of being competitive during the event at the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit.
Anyone looking for their first victory in Formula 1 has achieved the third fastest time.
“I’m still satisfied,” said the Spaniard. I would have liked to have been at the front. I want to get a good start to push. Everything can happen.”