Ferrari's Hamilton fifth, Leclerc eighth in Canadian GP qualifying; rain expected
Scuderia Ferrari HP qualified fifth and eighth for the Canadian Grand Prix as rain is forecast to shake up Sunday's race.
1'12.868
1'12.976
7
What Happened
In a tightly contested qualifying session at the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit, Lewis Hamilton secured fifth place with a best time of 1'12.868, while Charles Leclerc ended up eighth with a 1'12.976. Both Ferrari drivers advanced through Q1 and Q2 on used and new soft-compound tires, but Hamilton dropped from a provisional second after failing to improve on his final run. Leclerc struggled with tire temperature early on but gained confidence in Q3.
“It was a good session overall and I felt comfortable in the car. The final lap didn’t come together quite as I wanted, but we are making progress and I feel hopeful that we can keep moving in the right direction.”
Earlier in the day, the Sprint race awarded seven points to Ferrari: Charles Leclerc finished fifth and Lewis Hamilton sixth. Team Principal Fred Vasseur noted that the team has never raced these cars on these new tires in wet conditions, which could make for a very open race. Rain is forecast for Sunday.
Why this matters
The qualifying results set the starting grid for the main race, and with rain predicted, strategy and tire management could dramatically change the outcome.
Terms in This Story
- Q1, Q2, Q3
- The three qualifying sessions, each eliminating the slowest cars to determine the starting grid.
- Sprint
- A short race held on Saturday that sets the grid for the main race and awards points to the top finishers.
- Softs
- The softest tire compound, offering high grip but lower durability.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.