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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Verstappen runs wide at Turn 2 and Norris is now right on the Red Bull driver.
Alonso is now just 2s off the lead pair, having set a new fastest lap of 1m26.553s. He is absolutely flying!
Ricciardo is some 19 seconds off Hamilton's sixth position now. Hulkenberg really was the cork in the bottle.
While the front two are cooling tyres, Norris is closing at around two seconds per lap.
Red Bull must be considering pitting Verstappen for slicks soon. So long as he can switch them on, Russell would have no opportunity to respond.
After being told that more rain is expected in 20 minutes, Russell asks what Mercedes want him to do. "Don't tear the surface of the tyre," is the instruction. Still, he has a long way to go if he is to avoid stopping for slicks before that time.
Hulkenberg makes his stop and will fall right to the back of the field, in company with Sargeant.
Here comes Verstappen. He has closed to within a second of Russell and the pair lead the two McLaren drivers by seven seconds.
Ricciardo has been given a five-second penalty for a false start.
Finally Ricciardo gets past into the final chicane and that gives him the chance to go clear of Stroll, who follows through on Hulkenberg a few corners later.
The crossover must be close, as Norris puts in a 1m28.032s.
A big train behind Hulkenberg now, with Ricciardo, Stroll, Leclerc, Tsunoda, Albon and Sainz behind.
Confirmation at Haas that the tyres weren't ready for Magnussen at his pitstop. Disaster.
With a significant dry line appearing, drivers are now being warned to cool their tyres. No rain is expected for over 20 laps and teams will surely be considering when the crossover to slicks will occur.
The time has definitely gone for the extreme wets - Hulkenberg is three seconds adrift per lap of Hamilton ahead of him now.
And moments after Russell sets a new race best, Verstappen goes faster still. Norris then returns the favour with a 1m29.860s, and all are improving again on the current lap.
A penalty could be coming Ricciardo's way, however, with the Australian being noted for a false start.
Purple micro sectors are lighting up the screen on Russell and Verstappen's latest tour.
Replays are now showing the contact between Perez and Gasly. It's been deemed a racing incident but there is damage to Perez's front wing.
The times are falling very quickly now with Verstappen putting in a new best of 1m30.766s.
After enjoying the success of the wet tyres, in comes Magnussen to pit for intermediates. He drops from fourth to P12 - not helped by the fact that it was a horribly slow stop.
Hamilton is all over Alonso after the Aston Martin goes straight on at the final chicane.
But a mistake for Hamilton at Turn 1 means he will have to concede the position gained - as Alonso almost loses control. Phew all around.
Yellow flags are out - Sargeant has gone straight on at Turn 6. But he finds reverse and recovers to the track.
Russell currently leads by 2.9s from Verstappen, who now sets a new fastest lap of the race with a 1m33.859s. Magnussen is now slower than those ahead after the rain has stopped falling.
Leclerc: "Is everything ok on the engine?"
"No, it is not, but keep pushing," is the reply from the Ferrari pitwall.
"We are seeing something strange on the engine side, we are looking at it."
Not a good message to hear for Leclerc down in 11th.
Fastest lap of the race for Magnussen with a 1m33.993s - that was over two seconds clear of any of the intermediate runners.
Yellow flags flew briefly on lap one, that was for contact between Perez and Gasly, who find themselves 17th and 18th.
Here comes Magnussen onto the McLaren pair. He closes on Piastri and makes the move without a problem on the run to the final chicane.
Make that past Stroll! Magnussen has gained nine places, Hulkenberg eight. If it keeps raining, the Haas drivers will continue flying past people.
Hulkenberg is following Magnussen and is up to 10th, past Leclerc and all over the back of Stroll.
In the lead, Russell has been informed that this level of rain is the worst that Mercedes expects.
The rain has well and truly arrived and it is now chucking it down on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Magnussen is up to sixth now having glided past Ricciardo and Hamilton. The gamble is paying off!
Leclerc then struggles to get the car slowed down into the final chicane and is forced to take a shortcut. Team-mate Sainz is 15th.
Thanks FIA screen - apparently, the surface is slippery in sector two.
A huge snap of oversteer for Norris out of Turn 9 and he then runs wide at Turn 10. Fortunately, Piastri is giving him plenty of space right now.
Leclerc had made up a position but runs wide at the hairpin. The Haas of Magnussen is flying on the extreme wets and is up to eighth!
But Ricciardo has dropped two places to Alonso and Hamilton.
Russell crawls off the line but holds the lead as the top four remain in the same order.
By: Autosport Staff
