The 2024 Canadian Grand Prix delivered one of the many shocking results of the Formula 1 season, as George Russell took pole position after posting the exact time as Max Verstappen in Q3.
Can Russell and Mercedes deliver another surprise Saturday in Montreal?
Both Russell and teammate Kimi Antonelli were strong in the two practice sessions Friday at the Canadian Grand Prix, with Russell finishing fourth in FP1 and atop the timing sheets in FP2. Antonelli was a little more off the pace in FP1, where he finished in P13, but was up in the top three with his teammate in FP2 with the third-best time.
While Russell thought the results in FP2 may have “flattered” the team, he also believes that the cooler temperatures and smoother surface in Montreal will play to the team’s strengths.
However, the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are always lurking. The Constructors’ Championship leaders brought a series of upgrades to Montreal, and the pair seemed to take what they learned from FP1 and put those lessons to work in FP2, where Norris finished second and Piastri finished sixth.
However, Norris was still unsatisfied after the two practice sessions, calling it the “worst” Friday of the season for the Woking-based team.
Max Verstappen, who has to avoid adding one more penalty point over the next two races to evade a one-race penalty ban, was fastest in FP1.
Qualifying starts at 4:00 p.m. Eastern and we will cover it live, so come back early and often for all the action! All updates are in Eastern time.
Here are the provisional qualifying results for the Canadian Grand Prix, which will be filled in throughout the session:
Qualifying Results 2025 Canadian GP
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Pre-qualifying notes
3:50: That segment is followed by a clip of Charles Leclerc from Friday, talking about his incident on the third lap of FP1 that saw him slide into the wall, costing him not just the rest of FP1 but also all of FP2.
Still, Leclerc dismissed any notion that the incident would impact his “confidence” in qualifying.
It has been a somewhat heated week for Ferrari, with questions emerging in Italian media about the future of Team Principal Frederic Vasseur. Speaking this weekend Vasseur brushed aside the speculation as “disrespectful.”
3:49: Zhou Guanyu sighting on F1TV, as the former Sauber driver/current Ferrari reserve talks about the Scuderia’s chances this weekend. Zhou believes pole is on offer for Ferrari.
Notes from FP3
Saturday’s third hour of practice was a rather event-filled affair. At the top of the timing sheets Lando Norris led the way, followed by Charles Leclerc — who was back in the SF-25 after an incident of his own in FP1 sidelined him for FP2 — and George Russell.
However, incidents from both Oscar Piastri and Nico Hülkenberg at the final chicane brought out red flags, with the Drivers’ Championship leader clipping the “Wall of Champions” to puncture his right rear tire. Hülkenberg’s spin at that section brought out another red flag.
Lewis Hamilton was fourth-fastest in the session — perhaps due in part to Ferrari installing new power units on both Hamilton’s car and Leclerc’s — followed by Max Verstappen in P5.
