Fernando Alonso showed the importance of experience in harsh and rainy conditions in qualifying for the 2022 Canadian Grand Prix, achieving an impressive P2 on the grid for his first outing in the front row from the German Grand Prix of 2012, with the Spaniard now aiming for a top-five final and a glory race at the start of the race …
In the wet classification at the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit, Alonso, who led the 3 free practice sessions at the start of the session, was in sensational form, finishing P2 in Q1 and Q2 before staying there for the Q3, as it finished 0.645 s from the pole-sitter. Max Verstappen.
READ MORE: Verstappen faces wet conditions to claim Canadian GP pole ahead of sensational Alonso
“Surely it’s a surprise,” said Alonso, who was also in the top five on Friday. “It was fast yesterday, but we found that sometimes we have a very fast car on Fridays and not on Saturdays, so we weren’t very excited about yesterday’s performance. But today, after being in FP3, P1, we were like, okay, so if it’s still raining for the classification it could be a good Saturday and I was very happy about it. “
Asked if he could match the Red Bulls and Ferraris on Sunday, Alonso replied: “Surely they are in a different league. It wasn’t in our wildest dreams to be in pole position, so we took the front row for sure. and that may be better than expected. “
Qualifying for the 2022 Canadian GP: Fernando Alonso celebrates the impressive P2
Starting ahead of compatriot Carlos Sainz with Ferrari, Alonso revealed his goals for the race, saying: “The goal is to lead the race on lap 1. Course 1, maximum attack, and then they can leave and they can fight. , but it would be nice, sweet, to lead the race.
“I’m not sure what the chances are for tomorrow, realistically,” he added. “I would say the top five are what we have to fight for. We have a very good starting position, but we know our limitations and we’ve seen in many races that Ferrari or Red Bull start last or have a puncture on lap 1 or “Whatever it is, they still have a good margin ahead of us. So I think the top four are blocked. So the fifth is like a win for us and that’s probably the place we should aspire to.”
HOW IT HAPPENED: Follow all the action from qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix
Esteban Ocon placed two Alpines in the top 10 in the standings in Canada: Mercedes and Haas are the only two other teams to reach both cars in Q3. But Ocon was a frustrated P7 at the end of the standings and said: “No, not very happy. I’m very happy for the team, delighted by Fernando.
“It’s nice to see him up there, he’s been driving brilliantly since the start of the weekend, that paid off in the standings, so he’s great. And it means performance is there with the car, and we’re making progress.
Esteban Ocon “lacks performance” but expects P7 start in Canada to bring “good points”
“For our part, we have lacked a lot of action since the beginning of the weekend. Yesterday we were behind, between six tenths and a second or more times slower, so yes, the same goes for the classification. I felt comfortable in the rain, you know, in the rain I was up there, but as soon as there was a little load, or a little more driving when it dried too much, the performance wasn’t there.
FACTS AND STATISTICS: Alonso gets his first outing in the front row in a decade
“That’s the way it is, we’ll work hard to find the problem, but in the meantime we’re starting seventh, so we hope to make it a good point tomorrow.”