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Max Verstappen will start the 2023 F1 Canadian GP in pole position with Fernando Alonso alongside him in the front row. After Haas' Nico Hulkenberg was demoted to the third row, the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will take the second row, with the Ferrari drivers in P10 and P11.
The stewards' penchant for handing out penalties has truly had an impact on how the final grid looks. Having said that, one facet that might disappoint the fans is that the weather forecast for Sunday is of a dry race under cloudy conditions. After an exhilarating Saturday in the wet weather, what can the fans expect from the 2023 F1 Canadian GP on Sunday? Let's have a look.
#5 The dry weather could throw a few surprises
While it would be a bit of a bummer to see a dry race after the kind of action we witnessed on Saturday, there are still some interesting developments that could be in play.
Aston Martin was unable to do a race simulation on Friday. It only had a 4-lap run which could be put down as inconclusive at best. To add to this, Pirelli's aggressive tire selection for the 2023 F1 Canadian GP would mean multiple stops in the race. The stops open up a variety of options when it comes to strategy and it will be crucial to see what works for each team.
Finally, the temperature and conditions on Friday were much different from what they are expected to be on Sunday. All in all, teams are going in blind this weekend and we could see anyone of them trip in the race one way or the other.
#4 McLaren is going to struggle to keep the positions
Mclaren's strengths, according to Andrea Stella, lie in the fast-speed corners. The other area where the car excels is generating temperature into the tires quicker than the competition. This is what has helped the team secure strong results in rainy conditions or where temperatures are low.
The race on Sunday might be cloudy but there are certainly question marks over how the car performs over a race distance. Looking at the last few races, it is hard to see McLaren keeping these high grid slots and might end up dropping out of points contention altogether.
#3 No podium for Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc
Charles Leclerc's race pace on Friday was one of the best on the gird and had left many excited about the prospects of the driver. The poor show in qualifying has certainly put paid to all those hopes.
From P5(Nico Hulkenberg) onwards, Leclerc will fancy having a better race pace than the competition. A P5 finish is surely a possibility but a podium seems highly unlikely for the Ferrari driver at the 2023 F1 Canadian GP.
#2 Nico Hulkenberg's Haas drops down the field like a stone in water
Hulkenberg used goldust of some sort to secure that front-row start but to be fair, the car underneath him will struggle to be competitive in the 2023 F1 Canadian GP. Haas tends to struggle with race pace anyway and teams like Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, and Aston Martin will be quicker.
Even Alpine tends to hold an advantage over these cars, which means the German would end up dropping through the field like a stone in water. A points finish might just be a miracle for Hulkenberg as the dry conditions completely work against the American team.
#1 Max Verstappen wins the 2023 F1 Canadian GP
Unless we see multiple disruptions in the race, it's hard to see anybody challenging Max Verstappen. The major reason behind it is not only the fact that Red Bull is the quickest car on the grid but also the most competent team.
When it comes to pitstops or strategies before or during the race, the team has no parallels. While we can hope Verstappen gets challenged for the win by Fernando Alonso and co, it is hard to bet against any but Verstappen to win the 2023 F1 Canadian GP.
