Alonso's front-row start, Verstappen on pole in the rain - talking-points from Canada GP qualifying

• Max Verstappen secured the 15th pole position of his Formula 1 career at the 2022 Canadian Grand Prix.
• Fernando Alonso starts on the front row for the first time in almost ten years.
• Carlos Sainz has the best chance at victory with teammate Charles Leclerc out of the picture.

Max Verstappen secured the 15th pole position of his career when he put his Red Bull Racing Formula 1 car on top of the timesheets in qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix. The driver finished ahead of Fernando Alonso (Alpine) and Carlos Sainz (Ferrari).

Here are three talking points from qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix.

Verstappen relishes the wet conditions

Verstappen has always been more than spectacular in the wet. Remember Brazil 2016 when he passed Nico Rosberg on the outside of Turn 3, making the championship leader look like an amateur in the process? That was just one of his classic performances in the rain.

With rain having descended on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montréal, Canada, pole position was anyone's guess, but the smart money would have had to be on Verstappen. And the driver did not disappoint. He improved throughout each qualifying session, eventually topping it as the fastest driver.

Alonso still as racy as ever

"It feels great. It was an unbelievable weekend so far for us... the car was mega, I was so comfortable driving this car, and the fans pushed me to make an extra push. I think we'll attack Max on the first corner!"

This was Fernando Alonso's response after qualifying. The Spaniard put in a monumental effort in his Alpine, looking to threaten Verstappen for the top spot. Though he lost out by almost 0.7 seconds, he still managed to best Sainz by 0.795sec. Alonso last started on the front row in 2012 when he lined up for the German GP racing for Ferrari.

Alonso and Alpine may not have Red Bull and Ferrari's pace in the dry, but the weather turned all predicted outcomes on its head, making it possible for the Alpine driver to challenge for the podium. Not bad for a 41-year-old.

Ferrari gambles with the strategy

Ferrari is in a pickle with their race strategies. On the one hand, they have a chance at a podium finish, maybe a win, with Sainz, while they have to give championship contender Charles Leclerc the best chance at scoring decent points when he'll begin today's race from the back of the grid.

Leclerc has taken several power unit parts for this race, which should see him make up several places and into the top ten. For Sainz, however, he is not as fast as Leclerc, which could be to his detriment in the race. If he can't keep up with Verstappen and Alonso, he can kiss a possible first win goodbye. And with Leclerc out of the picture for the win - provided the race does not dish up a curveball like in 2011 - Sainz has it all to play for if he does not want to be Ferrari's number 2 this year.

Sainz is yet to win an F1 race.