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
Verstappen will be investigated after the session for failing to follow the race director's notes.
That relates to his barging into the fast lane at the start of Q2.
The ponchos seem to have fooled everyone at the start of Q2, the rain did not fall.
Pesky fans, eh!
A session full of shocks so far, will there be any more in Q3?
It's Piastri at the head of the queue for Q3, with Verstappen second in line.
Who will be on pole? 12 minutes separate us from the answer.
Mercedes has both drivers still in the garage... rain isn't on their minds.
It looks like it will remain dry for the entire session.
Piastri with a slide through the final chicane and opens up with a 1m12.713.
Verstappen goes faster straight away by three-tenths, with Alonso third and Norris in fourth.
Stroll is next across the line and goes fourth, albeit four-tenths down on team-mate Alonso.
Albon is now fifth, with the RBs opting for a second warm-up lap.
All 10 drivers elected for used tyres for their first runs and it's only the RBs and Mercedes yet to post a time.
It's a stormer from Russell who goes on provisional pole with a 1m12.000s.
Hamilton lost out in the final sector and slots in second but has 0.280s to find.
Five minutes to go and a lull whilst new tyres get fitted to all 10 cars.
Mercedes is the favourite - it's been a while since we said that!
Piastri will kick off the new-tyre runs with the track to himself as only now do others emerge.
Here comes the Australian across the line - Piastri goes second, 0.103s behind Russell.
A cooldown lap to come and then he will go again.
Norris is next in the other McLaren and he goes faster than Piastri, but still not faster than Russell.
Two minutes to go and now Verstappen and the Mercedes drivers come out.
Stroll will cross the line next as Ricciardo goes fastest in the first sector.
The Aston Martin is up to sixth for now.
Ricciardo goes fourth for now and ahead of Alonso, who improves to fifth.
A huge first sector from Verstappen...
Norris crosses the line and can't improve.
Verstappen has set the SAME TIME as Russell and goes second. Russell is on pole because he set the time first.
The chequered flag flies.
Piastri couldn't improve and pitted. Hamilton is the last driver to cross the line but can't improve from seventh. Russell to Hamilton are covered by 0.280s
Russell takes his second career pole position having set the same laptime as Verstappen, only before the Red Bull driver.
The conditions definitely changed at the end with the wind picking up - there was very little in the way of improvement.
Five different teams in the top six... who said F1 was boring?
Russell, Verstappen and Norris could be box office into the first corner tomorrow.
Russell: "It feels so good. So much hard work back at the factory has gone into this. I've missed this feeling."
Verstappen: "We had a good qualifying. To be P2, I will take it. Going into qualifying, I would have taken that."
Norris: "Congrats to Mr Russell. I am happy with third. It is a good job by us, so I am happy and excited for tomorrow."
With that, it's time to bring live coverage to a close for today. We will be back for the race, of course, but until then, find the full qualifying report here!
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
By: Autosport Staff
