F1 Canadian GP Live Commentary and Updates – Race
Minute-by-minute updates for the 2024 Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix.
George Russell grabbed pole position for the Canadian GP having set an identical lap time to Max Verstappen in Q3, and duly gained top spot having set the lap time first.
Lando Norris heads an all-McLaren second row from Oscar Piastri, with Daniel Ricciardo impressing with fifth for RB – fresh from criticism by 1997 F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve.
With Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso sixth and Merecedes’ Lewis Hamilton seventh, both Ferrari drivers will fight from outside of the top 10 after being dumped out in Q2, while Red Bull’s Sergio Perez starts from 16th following his Q1 exit.
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Summary
Live Text
Leclerc team radio: "Retire the car."
In comes Hamilton. He bails on a move on Piastri as Verstappen deems it too early for slicks. Mediums, it is.
Ricciardo, Sainz and Perez all take on slicks now.
Norris has just set a new fastest lap of the race with a 1m23.671 and you have to think that the top order will now stop for slicks.
In fact, almost everyone is taking the chance to stop.
Verstappen, Russell and Norris all continue on intermediates, but Piastri and Alonso stop for slicks. They file out with Hamilton between the pair.
"Box, box." Verstappen is called in.
Verstappen and Russell pit but Norris stays out again, and sets a new fastest lap once again!
Verstappen returns to the track in second, as does Russell but after a very slow stop.
Norris is now under investigation for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.
The stops have seen Tsunoda remain in seventh, Stroll in eighth, Ocon up to ninth and Albon 10th.
Norris stays out again, setting another fastest lap with a 1m22.272s. He is extending his lead over Verstappen and this will be extremely close when he eventually leaves the pits.
"Box this lap, give it everything," is the call from McLaren to Norris.
Tyre temperature is proving crucial, as proven by Gasly as he takes the fastest lap, Remember, he was first to pit.
In comes Norris for medium tyres. At the same time, the stewards rule no further action on his leaving the track and gaining an advantage.
Norris comes out of the pits and leads!...for all of two seconds as he has to dart across the wet part of the track to get to the racing line. Verstappen now leads by 3.9s.
"The ride is very bad. It's like a locked suspension again," reports Verstappen. The gap is coming down at the front once more.
Sainz is back in a car which looks like it is working. He is all over the back of Albon for 10th - those two part of a train behind seventh-placed Tsunoda.
But Norris drops to third after running ride at the hairpin, gifting Russell a chunk of extra speed on top of the DRS advantage.
"I can't touch any kerbs, it almost knocks me out," complains Verstappen. If the chasing trio can work together, they could reel in the Red Bull.
It's Russell's turn to have a costly moment this time, clipping the Turn 8 kerb before hopping across the grass. Norris retakes second but they are now five seconds off Verstappen.
Sainz makes his way past Albon for 10th as Stroll gets through on Tsunoda for seventh.
A big issue for Perez. His rear wing has gone and that will be his race done.
A nightmare weekend for the Mexican.
Sainz is on the grass facing the wrong direction and Albon is in the wall on the opposite side of the track at Turn 7.
Safety car
Verstappen's lead is gone and the errors of Norris and Russell are now absolved.
A lot to unpick here. Perez backed it into the barrier at Turn 6 having run wide onto the wet part of the track - that's driver error.
Sainz made a mistake all on his own at the same corner and, when trying to skirt around the spinning Ferrari, Albon made contact. Rotten luck for the Williams driver and that is both drivers out of the race.
Russell and Hamilton both take advantage of the safety car to pit. The former drops a place to Piastri but he has tyres that are now 10 laps fresher than those fitted to the McLaren.
With both Ferraris out and Perez also taking an early bath, McLaren will be licking their collective lips!
That incident has promoted Ricciardo back into the top 10, with Gasly lurking in 11th.
Speaking to Norris, McLaren refuse to rule out any further rain with "big showers" popping up around the track.
The safety car will return to the pits at the end of the current lap.
Verstappen weaves down the back straight and pins it through the final chicane, pulling a slight margin on Norris and Piastri.
Perez and Red Bull will be investigated after the race after he trudged around back to the pits with his rear wing in an unsafe condition.
Magnussen has tried some rallycross down at Turn 10 but somehow gets away with it over the wet grass.
The fastest lap immediately switches hands through the top four, with Russell claiming the honour on lap 60 of 70, with a 1m17.103s.
It's been a turbulent few weeks for Ocon at Alpine but the Frenchman has just gone eighth, passing Tsunoda.
Russell used DRS to attempt a move on Piastri into the final chicane, but the McLaren driver is able to hold on with a battling defence.
But without DRS himself this time, the defence is slightly beyond the limit and will almost certainly be looked at by the stewards. Piastri and Russell make contact in the final chicane.
By: Autosport Staff
