2013 Canadian Grand Prix - Qualifying

Canada always throws up an exciting race, in my opinion it is the best Grand Prix to watch because of the unpredictability. The 2011 race was my absolute favourite of all time, and I hope this years will be just as good!

Q1 started under wet conditions, a few drivers such as Lotus's Kimi Raikkonen and Marussia's Jules Bianchi tried slicks but soon found themselves straight off the track.

Ferrari Mishaps

When Ferrari called both their drivers in to change their tyres, they didn't look to closely at each drivers track positions. Felipe Massa wasn't prepared to leave his pit box when team mate Fernando Alonso came in to change his tyres. The encounter looked awkward but hilarious!

However the second mishap wasn't so funny. In an even wetter Q2, Massa had a second qualifying disaster when he took his car onto the slippery wet lines in sector 1. The result was a huge sideways smash, clocking in 5 G's and a red flag for the session.

Massa after the accident.

Felipe was able to walk away unharmed, the frustration in the car was adamant after he banged on his steering wheel immediately. After a Monaco crash that seen him sent to hospital, this isn't what the resurgent Massa needed. A dry race will be his only hope if he is to salvage anything.

Phenomenal Bottas Shows His Salt

Just whenever the critics start hitting him, he throws a huge left hook back. Valtteri Bottas not only shocked the world in Q1 & Q2 by setting quick times, but he managed to grab P3 in Q3 after setting a blindingly quick lap.

I have always believed the boy is talented but being held back by his team and car, but something went very very right for the Williams team today, and I am very glad it happened to him and not Pastor Maldonado, that would have been an opportunity wasted.

Strong Push From Raikkonen and Alonso

Sebastian Vettel was the overall quickest driver by nailing pole position, but the man sitting in second place in the championship could only achieve P9 and then got set back further by a grid penalty. There is no doubt in my mind that Kimi Raikkonen will throw us up a strong push tomorrow, providing a hugely entertaining race.

That is until he gets stuck behind a Mercedes and forgets how to overtake. Kimi give us those final two laps in Monaco again, but make them last a whole race. Please?

Likewise, Fernando Alonso will need a monster drive from P6 if he is to achieve anything. Because his car is so kind to his tyres (like Kimi) he is not so effective in wet weather conditions. This is bad because the weather is ridiculously unpredictable. 

I couldn't honestly begin to fathom a prediction for tomorrow. Common sense dictates Vettel, but the motorsport fan in me says Kimi could achieve greatness if he would just bloody take a chance. Being Mr. Conservative won nobody a title ever! Alonso is the in the better position and if it's a dry race, I think he'll start on the harder compound. I don't know, I'm not a doctor.

Lewis Hamilton didn't look to happy with P2. That's maybe because he knows he'll slip away down the field and hold up Raikkonen!

Thanks very much for reading! Please let know what you think in the comments section!

RESULTS (NOT INCLUDING PENALTIES) (AUTOSPORT):

Pos Driver                Team                 Time           Gap   
 1. Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault     1m25.425s  
 2. Lewis Hamilton        Mercedes             1m25.512s  + 0.087s
 3. Valtteri Bottas       Williams-Renault     1m25.897s  + 0.472s
 4. Nico Rosberg          Mercedes             1m26.008s  + 0.583s
 5. Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault     1m26.208s  + 0.783s
 6. Fernando Alonso       Ferrari              1m26.504s  + 1.079s
 7. Jean-Eric Vergne      Toro Rosso-Ferrari   1m26.543s  + 1.118s
 8. Adrian Sutil          Force India-Mercedes 1m27.348s  + 1.923s
 9. Kimi Raikkonen        Lotus-Renault        1m27.432s  + 2.007s
10. Daniel Ricciardo      Toro Rosso-Ferrari   1m27.946s  + 2.521s
Q2 cut-off time: 1m36.811s                                   Gap **
11. Nico Hulkenberg       Sauber-Ferrari       1m29.435s  + 1.786s
12. Sergio Perez          McLaren-Mercedes     1m29.761s  + 2.112s
13. Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Renault     1m29.917s  + 2.268s
14. Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes     1m30.068s  + 2.419s
15. Esteban Gutierrez     Sauber-Ferrari       1m30.315s  + 2.666s
16. Felipe Massa          Ferrari              1m30.354s  + 2.705s
Q1 cut-off time: 1m24.776s                                    Gap *
17. Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes 1m24.908s  + 2.590
18. Charles Pic           Caterham-Renault     1m25.626s  + 3.308
19. Romain Grosjean       Lotus-Renault        1m25.716s  + 3.398
20. Jules Bianchi         Marussia-Cosworth    1m26.508s  + 4.190
21. Max Chilton           Marussia-Cosworth    1m27.062s  + 4.744
22. Giedo van der Garde   Caterham-Renault     1m27.110s  + 4.792