Vettel takes Canadian GP pole with lap record

MONTREAL: Sebastian Vettel roared to pole position with a record-breaking lap for Ferrari in Saturday’s dramatic qualifying session for this weekend’s Formula One Canadian Grand Prix.

It is the Italian team’s first time on pole in Montreal since seven-time champion Michael Schumacher managed it in 2001. In a tight and intriguing contest between the three leading teams, Vettel clocked a best lap in a record one minute, 10.764 seconds to secure his 54th pole position and outpace nearest rival Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes and Dutchman Max Verstappen.

Championship leader and defending champion Lewis Hamilton was down in fourth for Mercedes -- his hopes of a fourth consecutive pole in Canada ended -- ahead of Finn Kimi Raikkonen in the second Ferrari. Australian Daniel Ricciardo, victorious in Monaco two weeks ago, was sixth in the second Red Bull as his team-mate Verstappen, who had been fastest throughout practice, continued to deliver a perfect riposte to his critics.

Having threatened to “head-butt” someone on Thursday after getting irritated by persistent questions about his many crashes this year, Verstappen was satisfied with his qualifying run. Mercedes, who chose not to introduce their new upgraded power units in Montreal and struggled to extract the best from the ‘hyper-soft’ tyre, saw Hamilton struggle to find the form that has enabled him to dominate in the past.

Hamilton, who leads Vettel by 14 points in the standings, was seeking to equal Schumacher’s record of seven wins in Canada this weekend, but his run of supremacy -- three straight wins at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve -- looks likely to end on Sunday.

On a dry and sunlit day, there was immediate drama when Frenchman Romain Grosjean pulled up in the pit-lane with clouds of smoke billowing from his Haas car’s Ferrari engine. Once the main teams emerged, Vettel was soon quickest for Ferrari before swapping fastest laps with Raikkonen as the Mercedes men struggled to keep pace.