George Russell has secured pole in Canada after an impressive lap that saw the British driver hold on to the top spot amidst a strong challenge from Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. Despite setting an identical lap time at the end of Q3, Verstappen was unable to push the Mercedes driver down to second on the grid, keeping Russell on top for his 2nd pole in Formula 1.

HIGHLIGHTS: Watch the qualifying action in Canada as Russell grabs pole and Ferrari suffer shock double Q2 exit

Q1 Results:

As in Monaco the shock story of Q1 was a back-to-back exit for Red Bull’s Sergio Perez. Eighteenth in Monaco, and fresh off a contract extension before the start of the weekend in Montreal, Perez was over a second off from teammate Verstappen in the first qualifying session that saw the Mexican driver fail to convert to Q2. He will start Sundays race in 16th, followed by Valtteri Bottas, Esteban Ocon, Nico Hulkenberg, and Zhou Guanyu.

Drivers out in Q1:

• 16th: Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
• 17th: Valtteri Bottas (Kick Sauber)
• 18th: Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
• 19th: Valtteri Bottas (Kick Sauber)
• 20th: Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)

Q2 Results:

Once again, a shock was delivered to the grid as both Ferrari’s failed to make it out of Q2, with Monaco-hero Charles LeClerc starting 11th and teammate Carlos Sainz in 12th. Both Ferrari drivers complained of poor pace with their cars as the team changed strategy for tire runs and allocations with the threat of rain quickly making its way to the circuit. However, nothing from the weather materialized and last lap banger from Alex Albon in his Williams pushed LeClerc out of the top 10 as the session came to a close.

Drivers out in Q2:

• 11th: Charles LeClerc (Ferrari)
• 12th: Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
• 13th: Logan Sargaent (Williams)
• 14th: Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
• 15th: Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

Q3 Results:

The final session of the afternoon delivered mightily as George Russell set the pace for the field during his first run. With a 1:12.000s lap, Russell had secured provisional pole as Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri made their attempts at usurping the Mercedes. Ultimately, despite a heroic effort by Verstappen at the end of the session, Russell would hold on to take pole in Canada, with the Dutch driver matching the Mercedes on pace with an identical 1:12.000s lap time. The McLaren duo would hold on for 3rd and 4th on the grid, with Norris only 0.021s adrift of Russell and Verstappen as Piastri slotted himself into 4th for the start.

Daniel Ricciardo, winner here in 2014, shocked many with his 5th place result after being the subject of criticism from 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve in the prior days as the former F1 driver questioned Ricciardo’s place on the grid.

Daniel Ricciardo fires back at Jacques Villeneuve’s criticism

Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, and Yuki Tsunoda ended their sessions sixth through eighth respectively as Hamilton was unable to improved on his Q2 time to challenge for pole. Interestingly, both Mercedes drivers set 1:11s lap times in the second session that would have made for a 1-2 lockout for the team. Lance Stroll and Alex Albon would make up the final two spots in ninth and tenth.

With Qualifying over, it’s time for race day in Canada. Stay tuned for all the action live on your local streaming platforms and come back to RacerViews for continued coverage of the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship.

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FORMULA 1 AWS GRAND PRIX DU CANADA 2024 Schedule

Qualifying Results