2 and a half hours after the end of the FP3, the qualifications are taking place in Canada Formula 1: George Russell takes incredible Pole Position, followed by Verstappen and Piastri. Norris finishes only seventh, while Hamilton is fifth and Leclerc eighth after aborting his last attempt in Q3.
The lights go out in Canada: qualifying begins
Q1 starts with most of the cars already lined up in the Pits with the traffic light still red. For the first attempt at Mercedes they differentiate the strategy. Russell completes the first fast lap with red tires, while Antonelli with yellow tires, as do the two Alpines and Alonso, who moves up to third position.
The track gets faster with every passing minute and consequently the top positions continue to change. In Canada Alonso strikes, halfway through Q1 he puts himself in front of everyone with yellow tyres, even if the times are still high for qualifying (1.12.239), followed by Verstappen, Piastri, Hamilton, Russell and Leclerc.
With 5:30 left in the session, the red flag is shown. The chassis of Alex Albon's Williams came loose on the long straight before the finish line, ending up in the middle of the track and forcing the stewards to interrupt Q1. The image showing the engine and all the internal components, usually covered, is suggestive and unusual..
Back on track for the final phase of Q1 qualifying
After a few minutes of waiting for the many fans who flocked to the Gilles Villeneuve circuit, it was time to get back on track. It was important to find the lap for Lando Norris, who was in a dangerous twelfth position. The Englishman from McLaren didn't need to be asked twice and with new tyres he took the lead with two minutes to go.
The track improves further and forces all the drivers to one last attempt, except Norris who returns to the pits. Everyone improves and in the end The first-time finishers were: Bortoleto (7 thousandths away from Q2), Sainz, Stroll, Lawson and Gasly. The Spaniard was blocked by Hadjar, who will likely receive a penalty, and was unable to complete his lap, while Albon finished in eighth position after the excellent work of the mechanics to allow him to return to the track. Excellent performance by Colapinto who qualifies for Q2 while the more experienced Gasly will start last in tomorrow's race.
Q2 takes place in Canada, ending with Russell in P1
All the drivers opt for the red tyre, with the exception of Max Verstappen, who takes first place with the yellow tyre, followed by Norris, Piastri, Hamilton and Leclerc. Even the softest rubber seems to be competitive. With 5 minutes to go in the session, Leclerc takes the lead.
The two Mercedes, Alonso, Colapinto and Albon choose the yellow tyre for the last attempt. Demonstrating the competitiveness of the softer compound here in Canada in qualifying, Russell finishes Q2 ahead of everyone, followed by Norris, Leclerc, Verstappen, Piastri, Alonso, Hamilton, Albon, Antonelli and Hadjar. Outside of Q3 were Tsunoda, an excellent Colapinto, Hülkenberg, Bearman and Ocon.
Top 10 Drivers Battle It Out in Q3: Russell Makes a Splash
In the first attempt Norris goes long on the final corner, thus having to abort his tour. Verstappen instead signs an incredible 1.11.248, just ahead of Oscar Piastri, who seems to have found the right balance just when it counts after a difficult start to the weekend. Russell is third, followed by Antonelli and Norris, who in the meantime had relaunched himself. The Ferraris occupy sixth (Leclerc) and eighth position (Hamilton).
All the drivers return to the track for the final attempts that will determine tomorrow's grid. After a great first sector Leclerc has to lift his foot due to a mistake. In Canada the qualifying sessions ended with a heart-stopping finale: First Piastri took first place, then Verstappen stole his place and finally, incredibly, Russell arrives and with the medium tyres obtains his second consecutive Pole Position in Montreal with a time of 1.10.899. Antonelli gets an excellent fourth position, followed by Hamilton and Alonso. Very bad Norris, unable to find a flawless lap and ultimately only seventh. Leclerc eighth, Hadjar and Albon complete the top 10.
