Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing overcame slick conditions on a rainy day at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal as he secured his second pole of the season in the Canadian Grand Prix.

The 24-year-old, the current Formula One World Champion and the points leader, posted a time of 1 min 21.299 seconds to take the pole, a feat he had not achieved in Canada earlier.

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The show, however, was stolen by 40-year-old Fernando Alonso of Alpine, who thrilled the crowd with a last minute burst to finish ahead of Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz Jr and Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton. Alonso, a former world champion himself, clocked in at 1 min 21.944 seconds, 0.645 seconds behind Verstappen.

“It is 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,” the Alpine driver said at the end of Saturday’s qualifying session.

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Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr, meanwhile, took the third spot with a time of 1 min 22.096 seconds. Sainz’s teammate Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, will start at the back of the grid on Sunday after being handed a 10-place grid penalty for changing his engine.

Hamilton, meanwhile, ended the session in a season-best fourth position, despite having a horrendous day at practice on Friday.

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Haas, meanwhile, enjoyed a great day as both of the team’s drivers – Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher – finished in the top 10, with Magnussen fifth and Schumacher sixth.

“It’s very enjoyable in these conditions. It’s not just one lap. Days like this is what makes you happy and makes you smile,” Magnussen said after qualifying.

Esteban Ocon, George Russell, Daniel Ricciardo, and Zhou Guanyu made up the rest of the top 10 respectively.

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The full standing qualifying results can be found below.

1. Max Verstappen
2. Fernando Alonso
3. Carlos Sainz
4. Lewis Hamilton
5. Kevin Magnussen
6. Mick Schumacher
7. Esteban Ocon
8. George Russell
9. Daniel Ricciardo
10. Zhou Guanyu
11. Valtteri Bottas
12. Alex Albon
13. Sergio Perez
14. Lando Norris
15. Pierre Gasly
16. Sebastian Vettel
17. Lance Stroll
18. Nicholas Latifi
19. Charles Leclerc
20. Yuki Tsunoda