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
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What a move from Albon!
The Williams drive slices to the outside of Ricciardo and then to the inside of Ocon - through the middle - into the final chicane.
Move of the season, without question.
The dry line is still visible, but it is rapidly disappearing. Spray has returned and conditions are deteriorating.
The onboard for Leclerc is pretty hopeless to be honest. It's ugly for Ferrari.
DRS has quickly been disabled in reaction to the change in the weather.
The rain is here, and there is a lot of it!
That gamble from Leclerc isn't paying off because the rain is falling.
Can he keep it on the track?
Good news for Russell as the stewards decide that no further action is needed with regard to his rejoin when being passed by Norris.
Ferrari to Leclerc: "We think we've fixed the engine issue."
The top order all make it through Turns one and two without problem.
Verstappen pins it through the final chicane to get racing back under way.
A gamble for Leclerc as hard tyres go on... but he isn't going anywhere.
Now he gets going after what must have been some steering wheel resets.
The safety car will be in this lap.
Hamilton and Alonso's ding dong battle for fifth has somewhat gone under the radar with all of the action at the front. The pair will be on the tail of the leaders and will both firmly believe they can win this.
"What goes around, comes around. That's Miami back," Red Bull tells Verstappen.
That is in reference to Norris benefitting from a safety car on that occasion to score his maiden F1 victory.
Tsunoda and Ocon are in seventh and ninth but haven't elected to stop.
Sargeant's Williams hasn't been moved an inch yet.
Ricciardo serves his five-second penalty at his stop but still gets out ahead of Albon and Leclerc.
Norris now stops for intermediates but is passed by Verstappen and Russell.
Sargeant dropped it over the kerb and pirouetted into the wall. It was clumsy at best.
All the top order have fitted fresh intermediate tyres. If the rain comes now, Norris will be hoping it is a very low intensity.
Alonso and Hamilton both stop as well.
It's contact at the rear for Sargeant, who climbs out of his car.
Norris stays out but Verstappen, Russell and Piastri have all stopped.
This could be a game-changer, Sargeant is in the wall at Turn 4.
The Safety Car is out! This changes everything at the front!
With a 5.4s lead, Norris is reporting that now is the time for slicks. Only Turn 2 is a risk, according to the race leader.
Leclerc's engine issue is really hurting him as Tsunoda gets through and into 10th. Sainz is next behind.
But here are the dark clouds. Rain will fall very, very soon. But will it be enough to upset the pace of the McLarens?
And now within 0.8s of the pair!
Bad news for Verstappen and Russell as they have now not only dropped 4s off Norris, but they now have Piastri within 2s of them.
No further investigation for Albon and Tsunoda.
Race control has noted Russell for an unsafe rejoin.
Albon has made a leap into ninth by getting past Tsunoda and Leclerc.
But the Williams and RB drivers are under investigation for a Turn 13 incident.
And Norris has built a lead quickly, pulling out a 1.9s margin.
One lap after passing Verstappen, Norris completes an identical move on Russell for the lead. But Russell then runs off the track and almost collects Verstappen as he returns to the asphalt in third.
Norris makes his move on Verstappen and is now on the gearbox of Russell. The move was a standard DRS run into the final chicane.
More rain is expected in nine minutes. Pitting now would ordinarily seem logical, but teams are desperate to avoid an unnecessary second stop just a few laps later.
Talking of the top 10, Albon got past Tsunoda momentarily for the final points-paying position, only for the RB to fight straight back.
And worse still for Verstappen, Piastri is now the fastest driver on the track and is closing up on the Verstappen-Norris battle for second.
If it does rain again shortly, Magnussen will have fresher intermediates than those around him - it could bring him back into the top 10.
DRS enabled!
By: Autosport Staff
