2010 Canadian Grand Prix Race day in Montreal

F1 is back in Montreal

F1 is back in Montreal © Sutton
Hello everyone and welcome to AUTOSPORT Live for coverage of the eighth round of the 2010 FIA Formula 1 world championship.

A fantastic weekend of motorsport continues and a hectic Le Mans 24 Hours has truncated our regular build-up to the grand prix just slightly, but now it is time to the attention to switch back across the Atlantic Ocean.

And what a race we have in prospect this afternoon. Montreal welcomes the sport back to the Ile Notre Dame after a one-year hiatus and the 4.261km Gilles Villeneuve circuit has provided many a thrill over the past couple of days.

The race itself begins in one hour at 16:00 GMT, but before then we will take a look back at yesterday's qualifying session, check on the latest weather forecast and look at who has to do what on the grid.

Hamilton grabbed a last-gasp pole on soft tyres

Hamilton grabbed a last-gasp pole on soft tyres © Sutton
Lewis Hamilton broke the mould yesterday, gambling on super-soft rubber to claim a spectacular pole position for this afternoon's 70-lap race.

The McLaren driver defied the potential destruction of Bridgestone's option tyre in the early laps, with a last-gasp 1m15.105s to snatch pole by two-tenths of a second from Mark Webber.

Webber has, however, suffered further disappointment this morning. Red Bull has been forced to change his gearbox and the championship leader will drop five places down the grid to seventh for this afternoon's race.

Sebastian Vettel will therefore start alongside Hamilton on the front row of the grid. The German will be keen to make up for the events of Turkey two weeks ago. Fernando Alonso is third as he looks to spearhead Ferrari's assault, with Jenson Button promoted to fourth and Tonio Liuzzi starting from a remarkable fifth place. Felipe Massa rounds out the top six.

Qualifying typically provides at least one shock elimination and yesterday it was Michael Schumacher who was left frustrated at not being able to get a clean lap on his final run in Q2. He wasn't able to improve on 1m16.492s and was shuffled down the list to 13th place by the Force India and Williams drivers.

Hamilton ends Red Bull's pole run

To reiterate the big news of the morning, Mark Webber has been given a five-place drop on the grid following a gearbox change.

The Australian will now start from seventh place on the grid for this afternoon's race.

Webber gets gearbox change penalty

Weather conditions are mainly sunny around the circuit and there is little chance of rain affecting the race.

A 40 percent chance of wet weather was predicted last night for the race period, but from the satellite images and local radar loops it would seem very unlikely that we'll see anything other than a dry race this afternoon.

Increasing sunny spells over the next couple of hours will help the maximum temperature up to 24 degrees Celsius.

Plenty of fans packing the grandstands

Plenty of fans packing the grandstands © Sutton
Motor racing enthusiasts love to debate and discuss the action on track, and the live forum at the bottom of the screen is your chance to let everyone know your thoughts on events as they unfold at the circuit.

• Can Lewis Hamilton make his soft tyres last more than ten laps in the opening stages of the race?

• Tonio Liuzzi could be the joker in the pack at the start. Just what will he do from fifth on the grid?

• Heikki Kovalainen put in a superb qualifying performance yesterday. How long will he be able to race against the Saubers and Toro Rossos for?

Tell the world what you think.

Click the SHOW LIVE FORUM link in the red bar at the bottom of your browser window if you'd like to join the debate.

Here's how the grid will line up this afternoon:Pos Driver Team 1. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 2. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 3. Alonso Ferrari 4. Button McLaren-Mercedes 5. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 6. Massa Ferrari 7. Webber * Red Bull-Renault 8. Kubica Renault 9. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 10. Rosberg Mercedes 11. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 12. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 13. Schumacher Mercedes 14. Petrov Renault 15. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 16. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 17. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 18. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 19. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 20. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 21. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 22. Senna HRT-Cosworth 23. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 24. Chandhok HRT-Cosworth * Five-place grid penalty for gearbox change

Schumacher will provide mid-field action

Schumacher will provide mid-field action © Sutton
Lewis Hamilton will lead off the grid this afternoon with one major question on his mind: how long will the super-soft tyres last when punished by a car running a full load of fuel?

Friday's practice sessions suggest the answer is "not many" and the Briton may find himself swamped by Vettel in the Red Bull, who has opted for the safer choice of hard rubber.

Hamilton will, however, be pleased to see both Alonso in the Ferrari and his team-mate Button also on soft rubber, while Mark Webber will undoubtedly have speed and be looking to charge towards the front from seventh. Tonio Liuzzi could prove to be the fly in the ointment for all the top runners starting from row three.

Continuing our look at the field, much further down the list is Michael Schumacher in 13th place. The German is clearly out of position relative to his speed in the Mercedes, and should make headway rather quickly. Expect an attacking first stint from the seven-time champion.

Heikki Kovalainen is the other interesting driver with a battle on his hands this afternoon. For the first time, his Lotus is on pace with the more established teams. He momentarily shaded Kamui Kobayashi's mark yesterday in qualifying, before the Japanese pulled out all the stops to squeeze back ahead by just two tenths of a second.

Look for the Finn to put on a stirring effort in the first half of the race as he tries to keep with the two Saubers.

The pitlane is now open for the drivers to make their way around to the grid. Many will plan more than one lap, passing through the pits to give them more chance to check out the grip levels and general feel of the car.

Mark Webber in the Red Bull Renault is one of the first out of the pits to test the installation of that fresh gearbox.

The Ferrari pair head around to the grid to take up third and sixth.

Robert Kubica has popped through the pits and is on a second lap to the grid.

Polesitter Lewis Hamilton is now on his tour to the grid.

The track temperature is 37 Celsisus - far warmer than we have seen at any point so far this weekend.

That increased temperature could be a critical factor in tyre performance.

Both Ferrari drivers have popped through the pits to begin a second lap.

Kobayashi rounds the hairpin and heads to the grid in his Sauber.

Nico Rosberg has been through the pits and practices a start on his second outing.

Vettel in the Red Bull arrives to take up his place on the front row.

Rosberg is one of the last men to round the final corner and take up position on the grid.

Sunshine continues to beat down on the Gilles Villeneuve circuit as Lewis Hamilton arrives at the pole position slot, having gone through the pits to complete an extra lap.

Felipe Massa is pushing very hard on his last tour before he forms up on the start/finish straight.

Not only will today's race be a supreme test of tyre management, but the brakes will also be punished very heavily.

Traditionally, Canada is the hardest event of the year on brakes. Drivers will need to look after them - especially when the car is full of fuel in the early stages.

The pits are now closed. Any car not on the grid by now will be required to start the race from the pitlane.

Canada's national anthem - 'Oh Canada' - rings out over the Ile Notre Dame at Montreal on a wonderfully sunny day.

A sellout crowd is in attendance at the Gilles Villeneuve circuit, with the fans not having had the chance to watch Formula 1 in the flesh last year.

The drivers are beginning to get themselves ready for action with the formation lap now just eight minutes away.

The air and track temperature is creeping up all the time as we move towards the start of the race.

This could be good news for Lewis Hamilton, who may not suffer so much in the early stages of the race.

There are five minutes to go until the formation lap begins at Montreal.

Hamilton climbs aboard his polesitting McLaren as he bids to make it back-to-back wins.

All 24 cars have made it to the grid and we look forward to a crowded start with a full field.

The track temperature is a warm 38 Celsius under sunny skies, with no threat of rain.

Michael Schumacher is receiving last minute advice from his Mercedes race engineer, Andrew Shovelin. The German starts from 13th.

There is a lot of tension on the grid as the teams know this could be a very unpredictable race.

The engines fire with a minute to go before the formation lap.

The formation lap begins and Hamilton leads the pack towards the Senna S.

All 24 cars leave the grid without problem, as Hamilton heads towards Turn 6.

The fans rise and cheer their heroes as the pack rounds the Casino hairpin. Hamilton is leading the field at a brisk pace.

Hamilton rounds the final chicane and heads for home. He slows the pace down to bring the field into line.

The polesitter parks up and the front few rows are in position.