Sebastian Vettel snatches Canada pole from Lewis Hamilton

Canadian GP

Vettel snatches Canada pole from Hamilton

Seb's first pole of 2019!

Matthew Scott

Saturday 8 June 2019 21:18 Updated: 21:28

Sebastian Vettel made the most of Ferrari's straight-line strength to snatch pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Vettel's first pole position of 2019 came courtesy of a blistering lap, which stopped the watch at 1:10.240.

Vettel has been much-maligned amid a difficult season to date and came into the Montreal weekend batting away suggestions that he would consider retirement at the end of the year.

Key to Vettel snatching P1 from Hamilton at the very last in Q3 was a mighty final sector, proving the Scuderia's straight-line advantage over Mercedes.

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Vettel won in Montreal from pole a year ago and doing likewise will breathe new life into his, Ferrari's and F1's season.

Hamilton was dropped to second, with Charles Leclerc third on the grid after a sloppy Q3, alongside Daniel Ricciardo, who qualified his Renault ahead of both Red Bulls and Valtteri Bottas' Mercedes.

Bottas was hampered by a spin in Q3, which saw him somehow avoid contact with the wall, while Max Verstappen's luck was even further out as he was eliminated in Q2 thanks to a huge crash for Kevin Magnussen, which brought out red flags as the Dutchman was on a flying lap.

Verstappen seems likely to start ninth, as Magnussen's car will require a significant rebuild and Carlos Sainz, who qualified in ninth could face a penalty for blocking Alexander Albon in Q1.

Leclerc will also face the stewards post-quali for going the wrong way around a bollard after running wide.

Pierre Gasly was fifth-fastest, just ahead of Bottas on the third row, with Nico Hulkenberg, Lando Norris, Sainz and Magnussen – who did not run in Q3- also in the top 10.

Q2

Magnussen's huge shunt meant that a host of drivers could not improve their lap time, with Verstappen the most high-profile casualty. Daniil Kvyat, Antonio Giovinazzi, Alexander Albon and Romain Grosjean also dropped out.

Q1

Kimi Raikkonen was a surprise drop-out, alongside both Williams (George Russell topping Robert Kubica by seven tenths) and both Racing Point cars, leaving Lance Stroll to stew over an 11th-straight Q1 elimination ahead of his home race.