Tonight at 22:00 Dutch time, qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix will begin. The expectation is that it will rain all day around Montreal, giving the drivers an ideal opportunity to showcase their skills under challenging conditions. MaximumGPnews.com presents five rain specialists that the drivers might want to take a cue or two from.
Last year, the Formula 1 drivers already raced on a wet track during the qualifying for the subsequently dry Canadian Grand Prix. At that time, half of the qualifying, namely Q1 and the first part of Q2, utilized full wet tires, with the intermediates proving to be the best choice for the remainder of the session. Luck and good timing are often seen as determining factors on a wet track, but during the various measurement points in last year's qualifying, the same three to five names were consistently ahead of the rest of the grid.
During qualifying, there were five significant measurement points, starting with the results of Q1. The second part of the qualification was halted after seven minutes due to a red flag situation, allowing for a comparison of times halfway through Q2 and at the end of Q2. Q3, as usual, was divided into two stints, providing us with two additional measurement points. As shown in Table 1, there were three drivers who consistently excelled: Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz.
Table 1. The positions and time differences at the different measurement points during the 2022 Canadian qualifying
At the five different measurement moments, Verstappen was always the fastest, except for the first part of Q2 where he had to settle for second place behind Alonso. It's important to mention that Red Bull was not yet dominant at the beginning of last season. Alonso was also consistently found in the top three, which is particularly impressive considering he was driving a not-so-strong Alpine at the time. This season's Aston Martin is performing much better, so Alonso will seize his opportunity in the improved Aston Martin if it rains. By the way, Aston Martin performed poorly last year, as Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll were eliminated in Q1. The third driver who was consistently fast is Sainz. The Spaniard only dropped to fourth place at the end of Q2, but otherwise, we consistently saw the same three drivers in the top three. So, this is the trio to watch out for today in case of a wet qualifying.
Behind Verstappen, Alonso and Sainz, there were two other drivers who performed well, although they couldn't match the pace of the aforementioned trio. George Russell and Esteban Ocon were the only two other drivers who could occasionally come close to the times of Alonso and Sainz. However, Russell's final position in Q3 was disappointing because the young Briton took a gamble on dry weather tires, but the track turned out to be too wet. Nevertheless, before that, he was consistently among the top five or six drivers. Russell and Ocon also have slightly more competitive cars this year compared to last year, making them good outsiders for a spot among the top three fastest drivers. So, we have five drivers from five different teams to keep an eye on.
It should be noted that Charles Leclerc did not seriously participate in last year's qualifying. The unfortunate Ferrari driver already knew that he would start from the back due to engine-related grid penalties, so he only took part in Q1. The major disappointment in last year's wet qualifying was Sergio Pérez. The Mexican driver struggled in Q1, coming in thirteenth, and caused the red flag in Q2 after crashing in turn three. Pérez is unlikely to pull off a rain dance this year, and he seems to have better chances of breaking his downward spiral of this season in dry conditions.