Canadian GP - Qualifying

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AWS Canadian GP

Qualifying

June 8, 2024

In the Canadian Grand Prix qualifying session, George Russell and Max Verstappen posted identical lap times, but Russell secured pole position because he set his time first.

On his initial attempt in Q3, the Mercedes driver recorded a time of 1:12.000, which Verstappen later equaled to the thousandth of a second at the end of qualifying.

According to Formula One regulations, if two drivers have the same lap time, the driver who achieved it first gets to start in the higher position.

Lando Norris will begin in third place on the starting grid for McLaren, with his teammate Oscar Piastri right behind in fourth. Norris was only 0.021 seconds slower than Russell and Verstappen.

Russell’s achievement of pole position represents Mercedes’ first of the season, following the team's difficulties with car performance since the initial race in Bahrain.

The introduction of a new front wing for the Monaco Grand Prix helped to fix a significant flaw in the car, and Russell credited his pole position to the improvements made by Mercedes at their factory.

When questioned about his chances of maintaining his lead against championship front-runner Verstappen on race day, Russell responded confidently, stating, "Why not? Of course. Let's go for it. The car's been feeling so good since we brought an upgrade at Monaco."

Ferrari will not have a presence in the top ten starting positions, as both drivers were unable to post competitive times towards the end of Q2. Charles Leclerc fell short of making it to Q3 by just 0.032 seconds, putting his Ferrari in 11th place, while his teammate Carlos Sainz was 0.037 seconds behind, qualifying in 12th.

Leclerc, who triumphed in the previous race in Monaco and is currently second in the championship standings, immediately communicated with his team via radio after Q2, saying, "I guess we are out? OK, I won't comment here." Sainz, upon returning to the pits and finding out his grid placement, remarked that he had experienced a lack of grip.

Daniel Ricciardo will begin the race in fifth position for RB on Sunday, a positive outcome for him, especially since his teammate Yuki Tsunoda has already been confirmed for the 2025 season, while Ricciardo's future remains undecided.

Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin is set to start in sixth place, ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who drives the second Mercedes. In Q2, both Hamilton and Russell recorded lap times in the 1:11 range, which were the quickest of the session, but Hamilton could only achieve a 1:12.280 during Q3 when it counted most.

Yuki Tsunoda will begin the race in eighth place driving the second RB, followed by Lance Stroll, the sole Canadian competitor, in ninth, with Williams' Alex Albon starting in tenth.

Logan Sargeant, Alex Albon's teammate, was only 0.008 seconds slower than Sainz's Ferrari in 12th and managed to achieve his best qualifying position of the season in 13th. He will start ahead of Kevin Magnussen, who qualified his Haas in 14th, and Pierre Gasly, whose Alpine will start 15th.

For the second consecutive weekend, Sergio Pérez was eliminated in Q1 and will be starting from 16th place. The Mexican driver, who recently secured a new two-year deal with Red Bull, was almost a full second slower than his teammate Verstappen during the initial qualifying session.

Light rain at the beginning of Q1 reduced grip levels, but conditions quickly improved as the track dried, putting all drivers under pressure to better their times towards the end. Valtteri Bottas secured 17th position for Sauber, ahead of Esteban Ocon of Alpine, who will start at the back of the grid due to a five-place penalty for a collision with his teammate Gasly in Monaco.

Nico Hülkenberg, driving for Haas, qualified in 19th place but will be promoted to 18th following Ocon's penalty. Zhou Guanyu of Sauber will start in 19th position after qualifying in 20th.

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Canadian GP 2024 Qualifying Results

Disqualified from Q1

16. Sergio Pérez, Red Bull (1:13.326)

17. Valtteri Bottas, Sauber (13.366)

18. Esteban Ocon, Alpine (1:13.435)

19. Nico Hülkenberg, Haas (1:13.978

20. Zhou Guanyu, Sauber (1:14.292)

Disqualified from Q2

11. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari (1:12.691)

12. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari (1:12.728)

13. Logan Sargeant, Williams (1:12.736)

14. Kevin Magnussen, Haas (1:12.916)

15. Pierre Gasly, Alpine (1:12.940)

Top 10 Qualifying from Canadian GP 2024

1. George Russell, Mercedes (1:12.000)

2. Max Verstappen, Red Bull (1:12.000)

3. Lando Norris, McLaren (1:12.021)

4. Oscar Piastri, McLaren (1:12.103)

5. Daniel Ricciardo, RB (1:12.178)

6. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin (1:12.228)

7. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes (1:12.280)

8. Yuki Tsunoda, RB (1:12.414)

9. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin (1:12.701)

10. Alexander Albon, Williams 1:12.796)