Lewis Hamilton stormed to pole position in Canada yesterday as his quest to move on from his Monaco heartbreak continues.
The reigning world champion beat team-mate Nico Rosberg to the top of the timesheet as the team collected yet another one-two.
Kimi Raikkonen will start third for Ferrari, who would have wanted to be closer to the dominant Mercedes having brought an improved power unit to Montreal.
Hamilton, who lost the lead late on in Monaco two weeks ago after a call to pit under the safety car saw both Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel pass him, may have had a small crash in Friday’s wet practice session but the 30-year-old was untouchable when it mattered, taking the 44th pole position of his career in the place where he claimed his first.
Hamilton’s pole lap was his first of the final session, with Rosberg unable to get within three-tenths of a second of his team-mate’s time of one minute 14.393 seconds – the German showing his frustration over the team radio as he bemoaned a “rubbish end to qualifying”.
Raikkonen was the best of the rest and he will be joined on the second row by fellow Finn Valtteri Bottas after he jumped his Williams ahead of the two Lotus cars late in the session.
Meanwhile, Vettel could only manage the 16th fastest time after an issue with his Ferrari engine restricted him to two flying laps at the very end of Q1.
Start grid at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
1. Lewis Hamilton (Britain) | Mercedes | 1:14.393 |
2. Nico Rosberg (Germany) | Mercedes | 1:14.702 |
3. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) | Ferrari | 1:15.014 |
4. Valtteri Bottas (Finland) | Williams-Mercedes | 1:15.102 |
5. Romain Grosjean (France) | Lotus – Mercedes | 1:15.194 |
6. Pastor Maldonado (Venezuela) | Lotus – Mercedes | 1:15.329 |
7. Nico Huelkenberg (Germany) | Force India – Mercedes | 1:15.614 |
8. Daniil Kvyat (Russia) | RedBull – Renault | 1:16.079 |
9. Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) | RedBull – Renault | 1:16.114 |
10. Sergio Perez (Mexico) | Force India – Mercedes | 1:16.338 |
11. Carlos Sainz Jr (Spain) | Toro Rosso – Renault | 1:16.042 |
12. Max Verstappen (Holland) | Toro Rosso – Renault | *1:16.245 |
13. Marcus Ericsson (Sweden) | Sauber – Ferrari | 1:16.262 |
14. Fernando Alonso (Spain) | McLaren | 1:16.276 |
15. Felipe Nasr (Brazil) | Sauber – Ferrari | 1:16.620 |
16. Sebastian Vettel (Germany) | Ferrari | 1:17.344 |
17. Felipe Massa (Brazil) | Williams-Mercedes | 1:17.886 |
18. Roberto Merhi (Spain) | Marussia – Ferrari | 1:19.133 |
19. Will Stevens (Britain) | Marussia – Ferrari | 1:19.157 |
20. Jenson Button (Britain) | McLaren | no start |
Note: Verstappen takes 15-place penalty after change to his car’s engine.