Grand Prix du Canada – Qualifying: Russell poleman springs a surprise

Q1:

Mercedes did not opt for the same strategy for its two drivers during their first attempt in Q1. While George Russell went out with red-banded tires, Andrea Kimi Antonelli used medium tires. Just like in Imola, Pirelli chose its softest tire range. In Emilia-Romagna, the overheating of the C6 tires, particularly crippling in the last sector, had motivated some teams to choose the C5 tires. It’s probably to test if this was again the case on the Gilles Villeneuve track that Mercedes split the strategy of its two drivers.

Oscar Piastri carried a bit too much speed into the first corner during his second attempt, which forced him to abort his lap quite early. This commitment and his contact with the Wall of Champions during the final free practice session demonstrate the Australian’s desire to extract the maximum from his car.

What had been announced as a potentially very good weekend for Williams and Alexander Albon took a different turn when the Thai driver’s hood literally flew into the air. With his engine exposed, Albon returned to the pit lane hoping his mechanics could get his car back in shape before the end of the session. With two minutes remaining, the Williams team managed the feat of sending their gladiator back into the arena before time ran out. Albon thanked his team by achieving a sublime 16th position, while his teammate, Carlos Sainz, did no better than 17th, hindered by Isack Hadjar.

Eliminated in Q1: Gabriel Bortoleto (16th), Carlos Sainz (17th), Lance Stroll (18th), Liam Lawson (19th), and Pierre Gasly (20th)

Q2:

With his medium tires, Max Verstappen clocked a better time than the two McLarens with soft tires. With a 1:11.638, the four-time world champion was 38 thousandths ahead of Norris and 77 thousandths ahead of Oscar Piastri. This gap, although marginal, represented the winning gamble that the C5s could be.

Thanks to the improvement of the track, Charles Leclerc managed to snatch the best time from Max Verstappen in the second part of the session. The Monegasque climbed to the top of the standings with only a 12-thousandth advantage.

Best time in FP2, George Russell returned to the top of the timesheet at the end of Q2 with a time of 1:11.570. Thus, four different constructors are closely matched in these qualifications. From Russell to Verstappen, including Norris and Leclerc, only 68 thousandths separate the two men.

For the fourth consecutive time, Yuki Tsunoda failed to qualify in Q3. During Q1, the race officials announced that the Japanese driver would receive a 10-place grid penalty for not respecting the rules regarding the red flag during the final free practice session.

For the 200th Grand Prix in Haas’s history, the celebration did not last long in qualifying for the American team. Eliminated in 14th and 15th positions, the VF-25 has been languishing in the midfield for a few races. Speaking to Laurent Dupin, Esteban Ocon was moderately optimistic about Sunday’s race, acknowledging that tire degradation could more or less penalize Haas’s performance.

Eliminated in Q2: Yuki Tsunoda (11th), Franco Colapinto (12th), Nico Hülkenberg (13th), Oliver Bearman (14th) and Esteban Ocon (15th)

Q3:

After their highly controversial incident in Barcelona, George Russell and Max Verstappen will find themselves side by side on the starting grid. The Brit and the Dutchman both opted for the yellow-striped tires for their final lap in Q3. Already a poleman in Canada last year, the Mercedes driver clocked a 1:10.899, allowing him to secure the sixth pole position of his career.

Lando Norris missed his approach to the last chicane during his first attempt. While the Briton has often committed small mistakes in Q3, like in Barcelona recently, the 2024 vice-champion was forced to immediately go for a second lap. On slightly worn tires, Lando Norris only recorded the 5th fastest time, more than 0.3 seconds off the times of Verstappen and Piastri, who were first and second, respectively. His second lap was not more dazzling. Falling behind by 0.5 seconds by the second sector, he was doomed to finish this session far from his rivals.

While Lando Norris will start outside the top 5 for the third time this season, Oscar Piastri managed to secure a solid third position. Against his rivals with C5 tires, the Australian and his soft tires couldn’t achieve a new pole position this season. The advantage is now 6 to 4 for Piastri in the qualifying duel against his garage neighbor.

While Charles Leclerc set the fastest first sector on his last attempt, his time slipped away at the start of the second sector. The Monegasque complained over the radio about being hindered by the dirty air produced by Isack Hadjar in front of him. Although he told Canal+ that he could have fought for pole position, it’s uncertain whether his C6s could have maintained the pace of Russell’s and Verstappen’s C5s in the final sector.