F1 qualifying outcomes: George Russell storms to pole place on the Canadian Grand Prix

The 2024 Canadian Grand Prix delivered one of many many surprising outcomes of the System 1 season, as George Russell took pole place after posting the precise time as Max Verstappen in Q3.

Can Russell and Mercedes ship one other shock Saturday in Montreal?

Each Russell and teammate Kimi Antonelli had been sturdy within the two follow periods Friday on the Canadian Grand Prix, with Russell ending fourth in FP1 and atop the timing sheets in FP2. Antonelli was a little bit extra off the tempo in FP1, the place he completed in P13, however was up within the prime three together with his teammate in FP2 with the third-best time.

Whereas Russell thought the leads to FP2 might have “flattered” the group, he additionally believes that the cooler temperatures and smoother floor in Montreal will play to the group’s strengths.

Nevertheless, the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are all the time lurking. The Constructors’ Championship leaders introduced a collection of upgrades to Montreal, and the pair appeared to take what they realized from FP1 and put these classes to work in FP2, the place Norris completed second and Piastri completed sixth.

Nevertheless, Norris was nonetheless unhappy after the 2 follow periods, calling it the “worst” Friday of the season for the Woking-based group.

Max Verstappen, who has to keep away from including another penalty level over the following two races to evade a one-race penalty ban, was quickest in FP1.

Qualifying begins at 4:00 p.m. Jap and we are going to cowl it dwell, so come again early and sometimes for all of the motion! All updates are in Jap time.

Listed below are the provisional qualifying outcomes for the Canadian Grand Prix, which will probably be stuffed in all through the session. Be aware: Yuki Tsunoda was given a ten-place grid penalty for overtaking beneath a crimson flag in follow, so after qualifying in P11 he’ll begin final on Sunday.

Q3

5:17: “At the moment was superior in entrance of this wonderful crowd as effectively,” begins Russell.

“I’ve acquired just a few extra factors on my license to play with,” jokes Russell when requested about Flip 1 with Verstappen, making reference to the truth that another penalty level for Verstappen would see the Purple Bull driver sidelined for a race.

5:15: “We’ll see what we are able to do tomorrow. I’m already actually proud of what we achieved,” says Verstappen.

5:14: “To be trustworthy with how follow went, I’m fairly proud of myself,” says Piastri trackside to Jacques Villeneuve.

5:13: We do get a handshape between Verstappen and Russell.

5:10: Russell will begin in P1, with Verstappen simply eight meters behind him in P2.

Given what occurred in Barcelona, Flip 1 tomorrow may be a box-office occasion.

Additionally of notice? Each Mercedes and Purple Bull switched to the medium compound for his or her ultimate push laps.

5:08: After a shaky second sector, Piastri goes purple in S3 and takes provisional pole. However Verstappen nips him for P1.

BUT RUSSELL ANSWERS! GEORGE RUSSELL STORMS TO POLE POSITION IN CANADA FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW!

5:07: Below two minutes left in Q3, and Leclerc has an incident on his ultimate push lap. He was purple by way of the primary sector, however a wobble in S2 has value him.

5:02: Norris places in a second push lap that’s ok for fifth, however he’ll have to extract extra tempo if he desires to begin up entrance.

5:00: Verstappen solutions, with a lap that places him 0.025 forward of Piastri.

McLaren reminds Norris over the radio to “reset,” and “bear in mind his breaking references.”

4:59: Norris was on a flying lap, however bails out within the ultimate sector. Piastri rockets to P1, 0.456 seconds forward of Leclerc in P2.

4:57: Each driver on the monitor is on a set of soppy tires. Solely the Mercedes duo of Russell and Antonelli stay within the pits.

4:56: Q3 is underway and the Ferrari duo takes to the monitor first, with Hamilton following Leclerc. Norris and Piastri are the following two drivers out.

Q2

4:52: Tsunoda, Colapinto, Hülkenberg, Bearman, and Ocon are the 5 drivers eradicated in Q2.

4:49: Hadjar jumps to P10, which drops Tsunoda right down to P11. Which means Tsunoda, after the penalty, will begin final.

4:48: Tsunoda’s ultimate effort is simply good for tenth, and he stays in danger for Q3.

4:47: Russell jumps to P1 on a set of mediums.

4:45: Drivers are popping out for his or her ultimate push laps.

One thing to bear in mind: Yuki Tsunoda sits tenth proper now, however he’s going through a ten-place grid drop for passing beneath a crimson flag in follow. Don’t be stunned if Purple Bull tries to get him in place to present Verstappen a tow, whether or not right here in Q2 or in Q3 ought to each he and Verstappen advance.

4:44: Leclerc jumps to P1 on a set of softs, adopted by Albon who goes seventh on a set of mediums.

4:41: Verstappen stays up in P1 right here with simply over six minutes remaining in Q2.

The 5 drivers within the drop zone are Colapinto, Isack Hadjar, Ocon, Hülkenberg, and Albon.

4:37: Early occasions are in for Q2, and it’s Verstappen up in P1 on a set of medium tires. Norris sits second and Piastri in third, each on a set of soppy tires.

4:33: Q2 is underway in Montreal, and the McLaren’s are two of the primary drivers out on the monitor. Verstappen and Leclerc are additionally among the many vehicles on the monitor.

Q1

4:32: Franco Colapinto appears slightly snug as he heads to Q2, as F1TV catches him together with his eyes closed, virtually as if he’s taking a nap, whereas we watch for Q2 to start.

4:29: On the sharp finish of the grid, Norris and Piastri had been up entrance in P1 and P2, adopted by the Ferrari pair of Leclerc and Hamilton. Verstappen rounded out the highest 5 from Q1.

4:26: The checkered flag. falls on the finish of Q1 and Gabriel Bortoleto, Sainz, Gasly, Stroll, and Liam Lawson are the 5 drivers eradicated.

4:24: Albon rockets out of the pits with simply over two minutes left within the session. He ought to have sufficient time to get again to the beginning/end lap earlier than time expires, giving him one push lap to advance to Q2.

4:23: Q1 has resumed, with three minutes left. Carlos Sainz Jr., Gasly, Albon, Bearman, and Hülkenberg stay within the drop zone, and Albon stays within the pits as Williams works frantically to repair the injury on his FW47.

4:17: Q1 will resume at 4:20 native time.

4:13: The crimson flag is out as Albon’s FW47 has some body-work injury on his engine cowl, which threw particles everywhere in the monitor.

4:12: Six minutes left in Q1 and the 5 drivers within the drop zone are: Gasly, Alex Albon, Nico Hülkenberg, Esteban Ocon, and Oliver Bearman.

4:11: Alonso up into P1, nonetheless on a set of mediums. Aston Martin may be cooking right here …

4:09: Some power from Aston Martin as Lance Stroll is up in P3 and Fernando Alonso — on a set of mediums — is in P4.

4:06: Mercedes has been sturdy this week and the early occasions proceed that development. Russell is up in P1 in the intervening time with rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli in second simply 0.060 seconds off his tempo.

Maybe a warning to the remainder of the grid, nonetheless, is that Antonelli set his time on a set of medium tires, placing forward of a number of drivers who posted early laps on the softs.

4:01: Two drivers — Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly at Alpine — head out on a set of the C5 medium tires. Pirelli has introduced the three softest compounds of their vary to Montreal this week, with the C4 because the onerous, the C5 because the medium, and the brand new C6 because the gentle.

4:00: The sunshine is inexperienced on the finish of pit lane and Q1 is underway.

3:59: Q1 is simply moments away. A reminder that we’ve got three segments of qualifying, on the finish of every we are going to lose the 5 slowest drivers, resulting in a ten-driver shootout for pole place in Q3.

Pre-qualifying notes

3:50: That section is adopted by a clip of Charles Leclerc from Friday, speaking about his incident on the third lap of FP1 that noticed him slide into the wall, costing him not simply the remainder of FP1 but additionally all of FP2.

Nonetheless, Leclerc dismissed any notion that the incident would impression his “confidence” in qualifying.

It has been a considerably heated week for Ferrari, with questions rising in Italian media about the way forward for Crew Principal Frederic Vasseur. Talking this weekend Vasseur brushed apart the hypothesis as “disrespectful.”

3:49: Zhou Guanyu sighting on F1TV, as the previous Sauber driver/present Ferrari reserve talks concerning the Scuderia’s possibilities this weekend. Zhou believes pole is on provide for Ferrari.

Notes from FP3

Saturday’s third hour of follow was a slightly event-filled affair. On the prime of the timing sheets Lando Norris led the way in which, adopted by Charles Leclerc — who was again within the SF-25 after an incident of his personal in FP1 sidelined him for FP2 — and George Russell.

Nevertheless, incidents from each Oscar Piastri and Nico Hülkenberg on the ultimate chicane introduced out crimson flags, with the Drivers’ Championship chief clipping the “Wall of Champions” to puncture his proper rear tire. Hülkenberg’s spin at that part introduced out one other crimson flag.

Lewis Hamilton was fourth-fastest within the session — maybe due partially to Ferrari putting in new energy models on each Hamilton’s automotive and Leclerc’s — adopted by Max Verstappen in P5.