Formula 1: Verstappen on pole for Canadian Grand Prix, Alonso second, as Zhou Guanyu hits new heights in Montreal
- Chinese driver makes it to third stage of qualifying in fledgling career to qualify 10th on the grid
- Teammate Valtteri Bottas will start in 11th after a wet and windy Saturday at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
An “extremely happy” Zhou Guanyu qualified in 10th for the Canadian Grand Prix as the reliability issues plaguing Alfa Romeo disappeared in the wind and rain of Montreal.
The Chinese driver made it to the third stage of qualifying for the first time in his fledgling Formula 1 career, while teammate Valtteri Bottas will start a place further back on the grid.
At the front, Max Verstappen grabbed pole, but it was the performance of Fernando Alonso which stood out, with the Alpine driver celebrating his first front row slot in a decade.
“From the moment I woke up this morning and saw the conditions, I knew that anything could happen,” Zhou said. “We’ve been often close to Q3 in the past, but I was not expecting to reach it here in Montreal, which is a completely new track for me.
“It was really tough out there today, the track was slippery and it was almost impossible to see the other drivers in front. I’m happy to have been able to give everything I got, my laps in Q3 have been a bit messy but I am glad to have extracted the full potential from the car.”
The Alfa Romeo pair are in prime position to add points to the team’s total, with Zhou hoping the car trouble that has plagued his season so far has been solved so he can add to the single point he won on debut in Bahrain.
“In terms of race pace, we have always been quite strong in the past in dry conditions, so we will try to give our best tomorrow and fight for a top 10 finish,” Zhou said.