Vettel tops Hamilton for third straight Canadian GP pole

Montreal, QC (Sports Network) – Sebastian Vettel from Red Bull claimed his third consecutive pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix after edging Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in Saturday’s qualifying session.

In rainy conditions, Vettel turned a lap around the 2.709-mile, 14-turn Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in 1 minute, 25.425 seconds. He collected his third pole of the season and the 39th of his Formula One career. The three-time world champion has yet to win the Canadian GP.

Hamilton, who has won three of the last six races in Canada, including a victory in last year’s event, qualified 0.087 seconds behind Vettel.

Williams’ Valtteri Bottas, a rookie this season, earned his career-best starting position of third after posting a lap in 1:25.897. Bottas’ previous best finish in qualifying was 14th, which came in last month’s Monaco Grand Prix.

Nico Rosberg, who had won the pole for the last three grand prix, placed his Mercedes fourth on the grid. Vettel’s teammate, Mark Webber, was fifth.

The second qualifying session was briefly stopped when Felipe Massa from Ferrari slid off course and slammed sideways into the barrier in turn 3. Repairs had to be made to the barrier. Massa will start 16th, while his teammate, Fernando Alonso, will roll off from sixth.

Sunday’s 70-lap Canadian GP is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. ET.

Categorized in: FIA