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F1 LIVE | Max Verstappen wins, Norris and Russell join him on the podium
We're back in North America for the Canadian Grand Prix. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve always throws up surprises and qualifying did not disappoint. Mercedes' George Russell took pole position for the first time since the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix. Max Verstappen will start in second for Red Bull after setting an identical lap time, but after setting it later in Q3, he begins behind Russell. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are line astern on the second row of the grid for McLaren, while the two Ferraris were knocked out in Q2, and Sergio Perez in Q1 too.
F1 LIVE | The 2024 Canadian Grand Prix
Mercedes moving up the grid in Montreal
After a poor start to the 2024 season for Mercedes, the German team and their boss Toto Wolff will be buoyed by the pace shown at the Circut Gilles Villeneuve. In the changeable conditions at Montreal, Russell and Lewis Hamilton both set quicker times in Q2 than the actual pole lap, highlighting the improvements in the W15, especially with the new front wing that is on the front of the pole-sitter's car. Unfortunately for Hamilton. he could not make the most of the pace when it mattered, finishing +0.28 seconds behind Russell but finishing in P7.
The Visa Cash App RB of Daniel Ricciardo qualified ahead in P5, answering back to some critics after he missed out on the Red Bull seat. In contrast, Sergio Perez, who signed a two-year extension with the Austrian team, had yet another day to forget as he was knocked out in Q1 for the second time in a row. Fernando Alonso took P6 ahead of Hamilton, with Yuki Tsunoda, Lance Stroll and Alex Albon rounding out the top ten.
Ferrari falter after fighting back in the championship
After the fantastic victory by Charles Leclerc at the Monaco Grand Prix, it looked as though Ferrari had found their pace, and also found their way back into the title race. However, qualifying at the Canadian Grand Prix derailed those ambitions, with Leclerc and teammate Carlos Sainz qualifying in P11 and P12, respectively. It was a big shock after dominating in the principality, but team principal Fred Vasseur said it had nothing to do with the changeable and damp conditions.
Weather will play a huge part in proceedings
As is usually the case in Monreal, the weather has played its part this weekend, with rain and showers containing to come and go throughout the weekend. Sunday will continue to be the same at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, with a 44% chance of rain expected to come down before the race begins at 19:00 GMT, rising to 58% when the lights go out. Thunderstorms are also predicted to hit the circuit during the race, and the rain will cause major changes to strategy. It could be anybody's race!