Canada - Qualifying

There is a lot to be said about the Canadian circuit, and most would be overwhelmingly positive. It had seen incredible wins, tense qualifying hours, and terrifying crashes. But what matters now is what it can provide in the 2025 season. Another McLaren pole or an underdog making it all the way to the top? 

With how little of a difference there seemed to be between the soft and medium tires, some drivers decided to begin Q1 on the yellow-rimmed compounds. The Mercedes established an early lead, but were quickly overtaken by the rapid McLaren of Oscar Piastri. Both Ferraris and the Red Bull of Max Verstappen were able to join the fight at the front, along with a rather unexpected team, Aston Martin. With a bit less than half of the session to go, it was Fernando Alonso who managed to achieve the quickest time. He sat on top of the leaderboard when a red flag paused the session with five minutes still to go. It was brought out by Alex Albon's engine cover coming loose and scattering all over the back straight. 

The debris was promptly cleaned up and, soon enough, the cars returned to the track. This time around, the McLarens were quick to reclaim their spot at the top. They stayed in P1 and P2 until the end of the session. Some of the other drivers weren't as lucky. Having been impeded by Isack Hadjar, Carlos Sainz found himself in the bottom five. He was joined in the elimination zone by the home hero, Lance Stroll, Gabriel Bortoleto, Liam Lawson, and Pierre Gasly.

Medium tires could still be seen on a few cars that made it to Q2. They were good enough for Verstappen to use them to set the quickest early time of all. He was then demoted from the lead by Leclerc, who, in turn, saw his lead taken away by George Russell. But, in the second part of qualifying, the top of the leaderboard didn't matter nearly as much as the bottom. Yuki Tsunoda, Franco Colapinto, Nico Hulkenberg, Oliver Bearman, and Esteban Ocon found themselves in the elimination zone. What was important to remember was that Tsunoda had been handed a 10-place grid drop after a red flag infringement in the third practice session. This meant that, despite qualifying 11th, he would start the race from the very back of the grid.

The atmosphere got tenser as the cars began flowing onto the track for the last part of qualifying. After the first series of runs, it was Verstappen who managed the best time, but with 4 minutes left on the clock, his provisional pole was still just that: provisional. Leclerc managed a glorious first sector and looked like he would try and fight for a position on the front row, but a slide in the second sector prevented him from improving. Norris wasn't quite quick enough to challenge the Red Bull, but the same couldn't be said about his teammate, Piastri, who jumped to the very top of the leaderboard. He didn't stay there for long. Verstappen finished his last lap a few seconds later and reclaimed the position, only to promptly lose it to the true polesitter of the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix, George Russell.

Order of the grid:

1. George Russell

2. Max Verstappen

3. Oscar Piastri

4. Kimi Antonelli

5. Lewis Hamilton

6. Fernando Alonso

7. Lando Norris

8. Charles Leclerc

9. Alex Albon

10. Lewis Hamilton

11. Franco Colapinto

12. Nico Hulkenberg

13. Oliver Bearman

14. Esteban Ocon

15. Gabriel Bortoleto

16. Carlos Sainz

17. Lance Stroll

18. Liam Lawson

19. Pierre Gasly

20. Yuki Tsunoda