Breaking: Canadian Grand Prix grid changed just hours before F1 Race
The Canadian Grand Prix has thrown up its fair share of challenges for Liam Lawson and Pierre Gasly, with both drivers relegated to the pit lane for the start of the race. The duo’s respective teams, Racing Bulls and Alpine, made changes to their cars under Parc Ferme conditions, resulting in the penalty.
Lawson, who was initially set to start from the back row of the grid alongside Gasly, has seen his chances of scoring points take a significant hit. The New Zealander has struggled to find his footing since being demoted from Red Bull after just two race weekends. To compound matters, Lawson has been outscored 21-4 by his teammate Isack Hadjar.
Reflecting on his disappointing qualifying session, Lawson said, “We’ve been struggling to make the tires work on the first lap all weekend. We committed to doing a build lap at the start of Q1 to keep them in the right window, however, we didn’t do a build lap for the last run. This meant we didn’t have much grip through the lap, which is a shame as the car has been fast all weekend.”
Gasly, too, was left frustrated after qualifying, with the Frenchman being impeded by his teammate Franco Colapinto. Gasly’s Alpine squad has struggled to find consistency, scoring points in just one of the past five race weekends.
Gasly’s qualifying session was marred by a red flag, which forced him to abort his lap. He later struggled to find grip on his final set of soft tires, resulting in a messy lap and an early exit from qualifying.
“It’s a painful one to take to be out in Q1, especially as the car had pace and potential for more today,” Gasly said. “We were on course for the top ten in Q1 before the red flag came out, so we had to abort our lap, which was looking quite strong and safely through.”
Despite the setbacks, both Lawson and Gasly remain determined to make the most of their situation. With the Canadian Grand Prix promising to be a long and challenging race, both drivers will be looking to capitalize on any opportunities that come their way.
As Gasly noted, “We will see what we can do better and also look into our options on strategy tomorrow, as it could be a long race with opportunities to take.” With their backs against the wall, Lawson and Gasly will be hoping to produce a stirring comeback in Montreal.
