Canadian GP - Friday Roundup - Qualifying Predictions
It's Saturday and we're hours away from the Canadian Grand Prix Qualifying, so let's have a look on what to expect later today.
Friday saw Max Verstappen topping both practice sessions with ease, not having any problems in particular. Verstappen's Red Bull seems really quick and steady around Montreal, and looks very promising ahead of Qualifying as well.
Talking quali sims, the Dutchman completed some qualifying simulation laps on the soft compound, lapping a 1:14.1. On the other hand, Perez had some issues with the set up, so he didn't manage to get any proper laps in yesterday, lapping at 1:15.2, over a seconf slower than Verstappen.
Let's have a look at Ferrari now: Both Lecelrc's and Sainz's quali sims weren't bad at all, would definetely place them in pole position contention right on top with Red Bull with Leclerc at 14.2 and Sainz at 14.4. It was announced late last night that Leclerc will take his third CE (Central Electronics Unit) of the season, and therefore will receive a 10-place grid penalty. Ferrari will want to help Leclerc lose as much places as possible, but also help Sainz advance to the front of the grid.
Can we say Mercedes are in a good form? Surely not. Hamilton said that "It's like the car's getting worse, it's getting more and more unhappy the more we do to it.", after the end of FP2. The team brought a new, upgraded floor to test during free practice, and as far as we know, and from what Hamilton said, it didn't seem to be working. Russell's quali sim was barely in the 15's, while Hamilton logged a 1:15.4.
Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso, lapping at 14.4 and 14.5 respectively, could easily secure a Q3 appearance, I would say around P4-P6, and could be right in the mix for pole position, if benefited from a possible yellow flag, or if something goes wrong for the top teams. McLaren also showed some decent pace, with both Ricciardo and Norris lapping a 1:15.0.
To sum up, my final predictions would have to be: Verstappen for pole position, Ferrari ahead of Perez, Vettel and Alonso around P4-P6, depending on how the session goes, both McLarens in the top 10, and Mercedes fighting with the rest of the midfield for a place in Q3.
Qualifying starts at 21:00 GMT and we'll be Live Tweeting through the sessions, so make sure to follow us on Twitter and turn our nontifications on so you don't miss any updates.