Penalties galore ahead of Canadian GP, Hulkenberg loses front-row start

Weather conditions during qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix made it difficult for Formula 1 drivers to post a competitive lap time, and several drivers impeded others due to poor visibility.

Three drivers were found guilty of impediment and have been handed grid penalties.

Carlos Sainz impeded Alpine's Pierre Gasly in Q1, directly impacting his chances of reaching Q2. Sainz, who advanced to Q3 and qualified eighth, has been handed a three-place grid penalty and will start 11th - behind Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.

AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda and Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) have both been found guilty of impeding Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) and Esteban Ocon (Alpine), respectively. Tsunoda will start the race from 19th place and Stroll from 16th.

Pierre Gasly was absolutely furious with Sainz following this incident that saw him knocked out in Q1 ??The Spaniard has since been handed a three-place grid penalty for impeding the Alpine driver #CanadianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/dOn4MhkIDM

Hulk is guilty

Hulkenberg had a great time in qualifying, putting his Haas in second place behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen when it was all said and done. However, in Q3, moments before Hulk posted his time, Oscar Piastri put his McLaren in the wall, bringing out the red flag.

According to the race stewards, Hulkenberg had just completed his fastest lap and was on another push lap, but under red-flag conditions he was already 1.5 seconds quicker than the prescribed time.

READ: Canadian GP - Max Verstappen bests rain, challenging conditions to seal pole

The penalty for breaching the delta time is a 10-place grid penalty, but mitigating circumstances require a lesser penalty: a three-place grid penalty. Hulkenberg will start in fifth place,