Winners and losers from the Canadian Grand Prix qualifying

After an exhilarating qualifying session, we have two drivers who could not be split even by a thousandth of a second.

George Russell and Max Verstappen both set the quickest time but the pair were not the only drivers to enjoy a good afternoon in Montréal…

Winners and losers from the Canadian QP qualifying session

Winners

George Russell

There can be no other place to start than with the pole sitter George Russell who looked quick throughout the session.

Having produced what he dubbed a “holy moly” moment at Turn 4 which could have seen his quali ended prematurely, he then went on to set a blisteringly quick time of 1:12.000 in what was not even his final run of Q3.

Max Verstappen was the only man who could get close, incredibly matching Russell’s time on his final Q3 hot lap – but the Briton would start ahead as he set the lap first.

Russell was clear that he wanted to convert that into a win and with the Mercedes car finally looking better, this will be his best chance since Sao Paulo 2022.

His team-mate Lewis Hamilton may well have been on this list too but he failed to match the efforts made by Russell in Q3.

RB

What a way to celebrate a new contract. Just a few hours after confirmation Yuki Tsunoda would be staying at RB in 2025, he made it into Q3 and eventually put it in eighth.

But while the Japanese driver is usually the brightest star in RB, this time he was upstaged by Daniel Ricciardo whose whole F1 existence had been put into question by some unfiltered remarks from Sky F1 guest pundit Jacques Villeneuve.

With the Canadian watching on, Ricciardo qualified P5, just 0.178 seconds from Russell.

The result represents RB’s best quali position for a grand prix this season but now the Australian needs to convert it into a healthy score of points.

Alex Albon

A lot of focus this weekend so far has been on the other side of the Williams garage but Alex Albon once again reminded what a good driver can do in this car.

It has not been a great start to the year for Williams but a P9 in Monaco looks like it is more than just a Monte Carlo stroke of luck and Albon, starting from P10, will want to add more points to his collection.

Aston Martin

Having endured a difficult season to date, Aston Martin seemed to turn a corner in Montréal and both drivers made it into Q3 for the first time since Australia.

That race saw them earn 12 points and Aston will be confident they could get a similar amount this weekend.

More from the Canadian GP qualifying session

👉 Daniel Ricciardo fires back at ‘talking s**t’ Jacques Villeneuve after live TV roasting

👉 How Lewis Hamilton’s data helped George Russell secure surprise Canadian GP pole

Losers

Sergio Perez

If Yuki Tsunoda celebrated his new deal in the right way, Sergio Perez very much did not.

For what was the 17th time he has failed to reach Q3 for Red Bull, the Mexican just could not find any grip to set a good lap in Q1 but while both drivers struggled last time out in Monaco, this time Verstappen was in P1 at the time of Perez’s elimination.

Many criticised Red Bull’s decision to reward Perez with a two-year deal and his performance so far in Montréal will have done nothing to convince those doubters.

Ferrari

Is it 2022 again? Ferrari were back to their questionable strategy days when they believed they had the pace to save a set of fresh tyres in Q2.

The result – both drivers out.

The pair could be heard complaining about the lack of grip and after such a great weekend in Monaco last time out; Ferrari may have backed themselves a little too much and surprise elements like RB and Albon punished them.

With the grid looking its most competitive this weekend, it will be a tough ask to salvage the grand prix from where they are starting.

Nico Hulkenberg

A rare poor quali performance from the German who is often Haas’ best chance on the Saturday.

While Kevin Magnussen did well to move into Q2, and ultimately start from 14th, Hulkenberg never seemed likely to break through the top 15 barrier.

Work to do on Sunday but it will be a tough task for the 36-year-old.

Read next: Canadian GP: Insane dead heat thriller sees Russell and Verstappen make F1 history