GP Canada
Back from a wonderful adventure at the Nürburgring, the reality of Formula 1 is immediately tough for Max Verstappen. Verstappen only starts the sprint race in Canada on Saturday from seventh place. Far behind pole sitter George Russell.
Formula 1 reporter
Complainingly, Max Verstappen barely made it through the final qualifying session in Montreal and, bouncing and sliding, he did not get further than ninth place in SQ2, behind teammate Isack Hadjar.
“The car is really jumping in all directions at the back, man,” Verstappen grumbled between the bleeped swear words. That session he drove no less than 1.3 seconds behind the fastest cars: the Mercedes, which had brought a load of updates, the McLarens and the Ferraris. All impossible for Verstappen to keep up with.
In the final section with the ten fastest men, things initially seemed to go a little better, because a few faster drivers saw their first attempt go wrong. But in the final minutes Verstappen took another tumble in the rankings.
No, more than a seventh starting place for the sprint race was not possible for the four-time world champion, who had to trade in his smile for major headaches just a week after his 24-hour debut in Germany. On the way to the pits he told his engineers that with his jumping car he had difficulty keeping his feet on the pedals at all.
No, Verstappen was not in contention for the top positions. The battle for pole was again between the Mercedes and was now won by George Russell. “A while back for me,” responded the Briton, who finally managed to beat Kimi Antonelli again. “But we’re not done yet. It will be quite a battle in the sprint race.”
Not just with Antonelli in P2. Also with both McLarens on the second row and with Lewis Hamilton who clearly has a taste for the Canadian asphalt, where he threw his Ferrari through the bends. His father Jos, an attentive spectator in the pits in Canada, also saw a fight that Verstappen would normally not participate in. There is still plenty of work to be done at Red Bull Racing.
liveblog
Russell pole, Verstappen P7!
George Russell does enough in his second run to beat teammate Kimi Antonelli. The Italian does his best to outwit Russell again, but this time he is unable to do so. Max Verstappen is angry. He has to settle for a seventh starting spot.
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Norris P2
Very nice round from Lando Norris. The world champion goes to the second fastest time and pushes Max Verstappen further away.
Hamilton doesn’t make it
Lewis Hamilton makes a second attempt, but does not fall below George Russell’s time. Max Verstappen also does not come close to the Brit’s time.
Russell P1
George Russell goes to the fastest time. He seems to have done enough for pole position for the time being, because all times suddenly seem a lot slower. The time of Verstappen, who was not at all satisfiedis now fourth, behind Kimi Antonelli.
Verstappen P2
Thanks to a good final sector, Max Verstappen moves to second fastest time behind Lewis Hamilton. Verstappen is in any case faster than his teammate.
Mistake Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton makes a mistake in the first corner combination and throws away his lap. The Brit has plenty of time to prepare well for a fast run.
Start SQ3!
George Russel? Kimi Antonelli? Or secretly Lewis Hamilton? They seem to have the best chance of achieving pole position. We’ll have an answer in eight minutes!
End of SQ2!
Carlos Sainz knocks the Audi team out of the top ten and advances to the final part of the sprint qualifying. Max Verstappen is also there, but he won’t be happy with a ninth fastest time. After all, he has already made that clear in words and gestures.
Verstappen angry
“The car just feels shit at the back,” says Verstappen as he heads to the pit lane. The question is whether he will save SQ3.
Oh Verstappen
Max Verstappen sets a disappointing lap and goes to the ninth fastest time. This makes him slower than Isack Hadjar. He is currently in the top tenbut he won’t be happy about that. George Russell meanwhile sets the fastest time, four tenths ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
There’s Russell
Lewis Hamilton cannot enjoy first place for long, because his former teammate is faster. George Russell drives a 1:13.466. Kimi Antonelli is also faster than Hamilton.
Hamilton to P1
Lando Norris was the first driver to set a time, but his compatriot has the fastest time. The seven-time world champion drives a 1:13.637, which is three tenths faster than Norris. Max Verstappen is now outside.
Verstappen still inside
Max Verstappen waits a little longer before going outside. The Dutchman is taking a risk with this. One crash by a colleague and you may run out of time for a timed lap. The other drivers slowly start their fast run.
SQ2 starts!
The second part has begun. Lewis Hamilton was fastest in the first part. Can Ferrari keep that momentum going?
SQ1 over!
The first part of the sprint qualification is over and goes out like a candle. Carlos Sainz and Lance Stroll try to complete another lap, but cannot improve their time. That doesn’t matter for Sainz, because he moves on to SQ2. Stroll is disabled.
Racing for position
It looks like the sprint race. Many drivers are fighting with each other for position on the track. There’s a good chance that many riders do not cross the line in time. Carlos Sainz, for example, is on time.
Green flag!
Some drivers will try to do another lap. There are less than two minutes on the clock in SQ1. That means many drivers will be unlucky.
It has been quiet for a while and it is still unclear when the session will continue. For the time being, it appears that SQ1 is still running with less than two minutes on the clock.
Red flag!
Fernando Alonso has crashed and it is a strange incident. The Aston Martin driver tries to slow down in Turn 3, but his car goes straight. The Spaniard simply brakes too late and that is an unusual mistake for one of his experience.
Verstappen P3
Max Verstappen improves his time and moves to P3. In any case, the Dutchman seems safe to continue to the second part. He is one tenth slower than Lewis Hamilton.
Arjan Schouten
Arjan Schouten is a sports reporter and writes about Formula 1 and skating. He has been at Grands Prix since 2016 and follows Max Verstappen closely. Read all his stories in this file.
