F1 Canadian GP Live Commentary and Updates – FP3 & Qualifying
Saturday's action from the ninth round of the 2024 Formula 1 season.
Following Friday’s mixed conditions, all eyes will be on the weather to see how it will impact Saturday’s action.
Lewis Hamilton put Mercedes on top during a dry FP3, with Max Verstappen and George Russell filling out the top three positions.
Qualifying starts at 9pm BST (4pm local time) in Montreal.
Live Text
Following the early 1-2 for Alpine, Ocon and Gasly are now P15 and 16 - positions that would see them out in Q1 later today if they were repeated.
The track has gone quiet in preparation for the final hot laps of the session. 16 minutes remain on the clock and the clouds are getting darker. There could be some extra urgency here.
P1 with 15 minutes left. Neither Red Bull driver has tried the soft rubber yet, but can Hamilton hold on to the top spot?
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
Currently in P9, Russell has gone early on his next soft tyre qualifying simulation.
Russell goes fastest with a 1m13.274s. That's 0.190s faster than Hamilton but he has gone earlier than the rest, meaning others will enjoy better track conditions.
The Wall of Champions has claimed its first victim of 2024, as Albon bounces off the kerbs and makes contact with the wall. There is evident suspension damage as he crabs back to the pits.
Back to the top goes Hamilton who puts in a blistering 1m12.649s to go 0.725s clear of Russell. Verstappen was third, but has now been displaced further by Ricciardo!
Verstappen is complaining about his Red Bull bouncing around but no one is getting anywhere close to Hamilton.
As Perez goes only ninth, one second off the pace, Albon returns to the pits and that is his session over.
Hold on, Verstappen has gone to second...but he is still 0.633s off of Hamilton's pace. Piastri is now third, with Russell dropping to fourth.
We're into the final five minutes but it would take a brave person to bet against Hamilton getting pole, based on this performance!
The final hot laps are under way and Stroll has bettered Verstappen to go to P2. Perez, on the other hand, can manage only eighth.
But now Russell makes it a 1-2, as Sainz is seen going extremely slowly along the pit straight. Replays show this came after he got a snap of oversteer through the final chicane.
Sargeant narrowly avoided a huge crash there as there was confusion when passing a slower McLaren. He immediately bails into the pits.
"We are extremely slow." Leclerc has issued his damning assessment of Ferrari's pace. He is currently in P10.
The chequered flag is out.
Verstappen into the Wall of Champions this time! He gives the wall a heavy tap with his right rear. No obvious damage but Red Bull will give a thorough once over.
There are plenty of questions to come from this session. Where has Mercedes' pace come from? Where has Ferrari's pace gone? How did Perez get a two-year deal when he's so far off Verstappen...again?
If this was qualifying, Gasly, Hulkenberg, Albon, Ocon and Zhou would have been the Q1 exiters. Magnussen, Sainz, Bottas, Sargeant and Tsunoda would have departed in Q2.
Top by 0.374s from Verstappen. FP3 was more than promising for Hamilton, on a track at which he is a specialist.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Other than Mercedes' pace, it is Aston Martin that perhaps provided the biggest surprise with Stroll fourth and Alonso - less surprisingly - eighth.
The early assessment of Albon's damage from team principal James Vowles is that it was a rear tow arm which broke. Not the hardest of fixes, but one Williams would rather have not been faced with.
And with that, it is time to depart until qualifying. Until then, thank you for joining us and here is the full report as Hamilton laid a clear marker in Canada.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Hello and welcome back to live coverage of the Canadian Grand Prix weekend. Qualifying is just around the corner, who will take pole?
Whilst we were away from the livetext, another piece in the 2025 driver market jigsaw fell into place as RB confirmed Yuki Tsunoda would stay with the team!
Full story: RB announces Tsunoda to stay for F1 2025
If you weren't with us earlier - or yesterday - the on-track action has been interesting to say the least.
Rain washed out any representative running on Friday and, in FP3, Hamilton put Mercedes on top of the pile...
But rain is threatening to hit the circuit at some point during qualifying. Dark clouds are forming and the wind is picking up, but it remains dry overhead for now.
The drivers are in the garage ready for the start of qualifying, which is just over five minutes away. Let us know who you think will be on pole - either in the comments section, or on our social media pages!
Williams has been hard at work in-between sessions after Albon clouted the Wall of Champions near the end of FP3. The car does look as though it will be ready to go, though.
Officially an 80% chance of rain across qualifying - the clouds have really rolled in across the past few minutes. The first few laps could be critical here.
Two minutes until the lights go green but a queue is already forming at the end of the pitlane. This will be frantic!
Here we go, Q1 is live!
Zhou leads the Alpine duo out at the head of the snake.
Norris team radio: "Ok Lando, we have had reports of light drops from Turns 7 to 8..."
Only now do the two Mercedes drivers leave the garage... so no rain on the Brackley squad's radar for now?
A car park forms down at the final chicane as Verstappen sets the first representative lap time with a 1m15.194s.
Norris immediately beats the Red Bull with a 1m14.585s, some six-tenths up on Verstappen.
Sainz has thrown his first lap away with a moment down at Turn 1 as Stroll goes top of the pile. Bottas goes third and Ocon fifth.
Russell is on a flier - a 1m14.012s is enough t go three-tenths up on Piastri, who slots into second.
Alonso also popped into the top three momentarily, only for Magnussen to go into second.
Track evolution is the name of the game here. Norris back to the top with a 1m13.541s.
Albon is sixth, Sainz fourth and Hamilton eighth.
By: Autosport Staff
