George Russell and Max Verstappen made F1 history today with a jaw-dropping qualifying session at the Canadian Grand Prix. Both drivers set identical times, but it was Russell who claimed pole position as he set the benchmark first.
Qualifying began under dry conditions but with the threat of rain looming. Drivers quickly took to the track, wary of the potential downpour. George Russell stormed ahead early, setting a 1:13.242, narrowly leading Max Verstappen by just a tenth. The drama continued as Lance Stroll clipped the Wall of Champions, though he managed to avoid serious damage and continued.
Lewis Hamilton, chasing his seventh pole at the Canadian GP, had a strong showing, comfortably leading FP3. However, during qualifying, it was teammate Russell who shined. Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri was frustrated by a possible impeding incident involving Hamilton and Yuki Tsunoda. Verstappen expressed his own frustrations over downshifts in his Red Bull.
As Q1 concluded, Verstappen topped the timings while his teammate Sergio Perez faced disappointment, getting eliminated early despite signing a new multi-year contract with Red Bull. Other drivers joining Perez in elimination included Valtteri Bottas, Esteban Ocon, Nico Hulkenberg, and Zhou Guanyu. Ocon’s elimination was compounded by a five-place grid penalty from a previous incident in Monaco.
Q2 began just as rain started to fall, creating a tricky situation for the drivers. Verstappen gambled on used soft tyres and initially fell out of the top 10 but managed to climb back to P9. The circuit conditions were tough, and Russell had a dramatic slide through Turn 4 but managed to keep his car intact. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz took a gamble on used tyres but faced elimination along with Logan Sargeant, Kevin Magnussen, and Pierre Gasly.
Moving into Q3, dark clouds gathered but the rain held off, allowing for an electrifying finish. Russell set an astonishing 1:12.000, putting him on provisional pole. Max Verstappen then matched his time down to the thousandth of a second, but because Russell set the time first, he clinched the pole position. Lando Norris was just 0.021 seconds behind, securing P3 for McLaren.
The final Q3 times were a testament to the intense competition. Russell and Verstappen both clocked in at 1:12.000, followed closely by Norris, Piastri, and Ricciardo. Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Yuki Tsunoda, Lance Stroll, and Alexander Albon rounded out the top 10.
The Canadian Grand Prix qualifying session was nothing short of spectacular, with George Russell and Max Verstappen making F1 history by setting identical times. As the pole goes to Russell, fans can only anticipate an equally thrilling race ahead.
Source: Planetf1
