There may be no better way to put a debacle behind you than registering a terrific performance at the very next grand prix. That’s exactly what Lewis Hamilton has done by securing pole position for the 2015 Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix.
Clearly a power circuit, the current location for the Canadian Grand Prix has been on an island in the middle of the St. Lawrence Seaway in Montreal. Mercedes struggled here last year with brake issues but they seem to still have the pace on a high-power circuit to keep all other competitors at bay.
As a power circuit, Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, Williams F1’s Felipe Massa and McLaren’s Jenson Button all struggled with power unit niggles that hampered their qualifying with the 2009 champion, Button, failing to even participate int eh session.
The circuit, hungry for power and shunning downforce, would logically favor the Mercedes, you’d be forgiven for thinking the Williams (Mercedes-powered) would do well here and they have but what you may not have planned on was the resurgence of Lotus with a brilliant 5th and 6th for Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado respectively.
Sure, the power unit has a lot to do with the result here in Canada but even if you ascribe that as an 80% impact, that Lotus chassis has either made effective upgrades or is just a low-downforce creature.
Equally, you may not have expected Force India in what is, effectively, a souped-up 2014 chassis to secure 7th and 10th but they have and it is a much-needed result if they can convert that to points on Sunday.
One of the key points, Rosberg versus Hamilton not withstanding, is the battle between Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen. The two Finnish drivers will make the second row of the grid and both are hovering around each other in the Driver’s Championship points battle.
Also, keep you eyes on the tire strategy as the soft and super-soft tires seem durable if not challenging to find grip on a low-grip circuit.
| Pos | Driver | Car | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1m14.393s | – |
| 2 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1m14.702s | 0.309s |
| 3 | Kimi Raikkonen | Ferrari | 1m15.014s | 0.621s |
| 4 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams/Mercedes | 1m15.102s | 0.709s |
| 5 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus/Mercedes | 1m15.194s | 0.801s |
| 6 | Pastor Maldonado | Lotus/Mercedes | 1m15.329s | 0.936s |
| 7 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India/Mercedes | 1m15.614s | 1.221s |
| 8 | Daniil Kvyat | Red Bull/Renault | 1m16.079s | 1.686s |
| 9 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull/Renault | 1m16.114s | 1.721s |
| 10 | Sergio Perez | Force India/Mercedes | 1m16.338s | 1.945s |
| 11 | Carlos Sainz | Toro Rosso/Renault | 1m16.042s | – |
| 12 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber/Ferrari | 1m16.262s | – |
| 13 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren/Honda | 1m16.276s | – |
| 14 | Felipe Nasr | Sauber/Ferrari | 1m16.620s | – |
| 15 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1m17.344s | – |
| 16 | Felipe Massa | Williams/Mercedes | 1m17.886s | – |
| 17 | Roberto Merhi | Marussia/Ferrari | 1m19.133s | – |
| 18 | Will Stevens | Marussia/Ferrari | 1m19.157s | – |
| 19 | Max Verstappen | Toro Rosso/Renault | 1m16.245s | – |
| 20 | Jenson Button | McLaren/Honda | – | – |
Most please with Lotus getting great starting positions.
With a high probability of a safety car, and the same issues with warming tyres as at Monaco, do you think Mercedes will call Hamilton in from the lead in this race? I’m just concerned that. They may be over cautious after what happened last time.