After an exhilarating qualifying session, there were two drivers not even a thousandth of a second apart.
George Russell and Max Verstappen both set the fastest times, but they weren’t the only drivers having an enjoyable afternoon in Montreal…
Canadian Qualifier Winners and Losers
winner
George Russell
There would be no choice but to start with pole sitter George Russell, who looked quick throughout the session.
He created a “what the heck” moment at Turn 4 that potentially ended qualifying prematurely, but then he recorded an incredible time of 1:12.000, despite it not even being the final run of Q3.
Only Max Verstappen came close, incredibly matching Russell’s time on his final hot lap of Q3, but the British driver set a lap first and started at the front.
Russell has made it clear he wants to turn that into a win and, with the Mercedes car finally looking good, this would be their best chance since Sao Paulo in 2022.
Team-mate Lewis Hamilton might have been on this list too, but he couldn’t match the effort Russell put in in Q3.
R.B.
What a great way to celebrate a new contract. Just hours after it was confirmed that Yuki Tsunoda would remain with RB through 2025, he made it into Q3 and ultimately finished in eighth place.
But the Japanese driver, usually RB’s brightest star, was upstaged by Daniel Ricciardo, whose very existence in F1 was called into question by some outspoken comments from Sky F1 guest pundit Jacques Villeneuve.
With the Canadian driver looking on, Ricciardo qualified in fifth place, just 0.178 seconds behind Russell.
The result is RB’s best qualifying position of any Grand Prix this season, but the Australian driver will need to translate it into a healthy points result.
Alex Albon
All eyes have been on the other side of the Williams garage so far this weekend, with Alex Albon providing yet another reminder of what a talented driver can do in this car.
It has been a poor start to the year for Williams but ninth place in Monaco was more than a blessing in disguise in Monte Carlo and Albon will be hoping to add to his points haul after starting from 10th.
Aston Martin
Aston Martin has had a tough season so far but things seemed to turn around in Montreal, with both drivers making it into Q3 for the first time since Australia.
They earned 12 points in that race and Aston will be confident of a similar haul this weekend.
Canadian Grand Prix qualifying session details
👉 Daniel Ricciardo hits back at Jacques Villeneuve after he was criticised on live TV
👉 How Lewis Hamilton’s data helped George Russell secure a surprise pole position at the Canadian Grand Prix
loser
Sergio Perez
If Yuki Tsunoda celebrated his new contract correctly, Sergio Pérez did not.
It was Red Bull’s 17th time to miss out on Q3, but the Mexican driver just couldn’t find the grip to put in a good lap in Q1, but whereas both drivers struggled last time out in Monaco, this time Verstappen was in P1 when Perez was eliminated.
There have been many critics of Red Bull’s decision to reward Perez with a two-year contract and his performances so far in Montreal have not done much to convince those doubters.
Ferrari
Will 2022 come again? Ferrari is back to the days of questionable strategies, when they believed they had the pace to conserve a set of fresh tyres for Q2.
As a result, both drivers were eliminated.
Both drivers could be heard complaining about a lack of grip but after a fantastic weekend in Monaco last time out, Ferrari seemed a little overconfident and unexpected players like RB and Albon hurt them.
This weekend’s grid is set to be the most competitive ever, so saving the Grand Prix from the starting line will be a tough task.
Nico Hulkenberg
The German driver is often Haas’ biggest opportunity on Saturday but his performance in qualifying was uncharacteristically poor.
Kevin Magnussen did well to make it into Q2 and ultimately start in 14th place, but Hulkenberg looked unlikely to break into the top 15.
He has work on Sunday but it will be a tough task for the 36-year-old.
Read next: Canadian Grand Prix: Russell and Verstappen make F1 history in crazy dead heat thriller
