Key events
Away we go
1/70 No contact, Russell holds his lead by 6/10. Antonelli overtakes Piastri for third. Piastri had to hesitate. Albon bounces across the grass and rejoins, and he will be asked to drop back surely. Hamilton holds fifth.
Before we go…news from elsewhere in the world of vroom.
The formation lap sees the cars bob and weave all over the track. Can George Russell hold the lead. Last year, he did until the 20th lap, only for Verstappen to win. There’s the Piastri factor to consider too.
Right, not long to go until the off….
Toto Wolf is concerned about the heat. “The asphalt is very closed and smooth,” the Mercedes principal says. Sounds like a Suede lyric. Max Verstappen is looking calm as he runs over the final instructions with Gianpiero Lambiase, Red Bull’s chief engineer.
“Oh Canada” was sung well by some local youngsters, no straining of the national anthem in the cursive style made famous by Whitney Houston but rarely bettered, and often favoured south of the border.
Martin Brundle is on his grid walk and with Esteban Ocon, who is looking forward to a day without rain. The drivers are sheltering from the heat. Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu says Montreal is one of “our favourite events, for sure”. The worry for Racing Bull is the tyres – always the rubber – Jonathan Wheatley of Sauber cannot wait. Next year, his team will be Audi. Alpine – Franco Colapinto – are changing brake disks. His team seem confident. Quicker than KwikFit, that lot. Only 18 cars on the grid. Liam Lawson and Pierre Gasly will start from the pit lane. There’s a DJ dropping tunes – it’s a modern remix of the below classic. Fernando Alonso seems happy with life…here comes the national anthem of Canada.
It’s a hot day in Canada, and the cars are out and testing. As ever, the discussion is about tyres. When isn’t it? All that tech and it always comes down to rubber.
Feels like old times to kick off in Melbourne next season.
Beau Dure on the chap they may soon be calling Mad Max, Fury Road.
There’s some needle within the grid. It sure adds to the gaiety of nations. If not Max’s moods.
Top 10 drivers’ standings
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1. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 186 points
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2. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 176 points
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3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 137 points
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4. George Russell (Mercedes) – 111 points
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5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 94 points
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6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 71 points
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7. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 48 points
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8. Alex Albon (Williams) – 42 points
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9. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) – 21 points
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10. Esteban Ocon (Haas) – 20 points
Final Grid Positions after Qualifying:
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1 George Russell (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1m 10.899s
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2 Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1:11.059
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3 Oscar Piastri (Aus) McLaren 1:11.120
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4 Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Ita) Mercedes GP 1:11.391
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5 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Ferrari HP 1:11.526
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6 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Aston Martin 1:11.586
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7 Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren 1:11.625
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8 Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari HP 1:11.682
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9 Isack Hadjar (Fra) RB 1:11.867
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10 Alexander Albon (Tha) Atlassian Williams 1:11.907
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11 Yuki Tsunoda (Jpn) Red Bull 1:12.102
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12 Franco Colapinto (Arg) Alpine 1:12.142
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13 Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Kick Sauber 1:12.183
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14 Oliver Bearman (Gbr) Haas F1 1:12.340
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15 Esteban Ocon (Fra) Haas F1 1:12.634
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16 Gabriel Bortoleto (Bra) Kick Sauber 1:12.385
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17 Carlos Sainz Jr. (Spa) Atlassian Williams 1:12.398
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18 Lance Stroll (Can) Aston Martin 1:12.517
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19 Liam Lawson (Nzl) RB 1:12.525
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20 Pierre Gasly (Fra) Alpine 1:12.667
Preamble
This remains an open championship, with McLaren’s wings clipped – literally – and Max Verstappen’s ever-changing moods threatening him with the sin bin. It was something of a surprise to see George Russell claim pole – though he repeated last year’s feat. Now, can he turn it into a win? Lewis Hamilton is higher in the mix, too. With five different teams over the front five on the grid it looks an open race.
Lights out at 7pm. Join me.
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