Formula 1: George Russell Clinches Pole Position at Canadian Grand Prix
June 8, 2024 – In a thrilling finale, Mercedes’ George Russell secured pole position at the Canadian Grand Prix, edging out Max Verstappen by virtue of setting his time earlier in the qualifying session. The top two drivers could not be separated, with both clocking identical times of 1:12.000s.
Lando Norris finished just two-hundredths of a second behind in third place, capping off an impressive performance for McLaren. Ferrari’s struggles continued, with both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz eliminated in the second segment, while Sergio Perez exited in Q1.
The rain that arrived before the qualifying session had washed away the rubber laid down by the cars, with an 80% chance of further showers. However, Q1 commenced without any disruptions, and Russell initially led the times with a 1:14.012s lap.
“Verstappen soon took over, shaving six-tenths of a second off Russell’s time. The Mercedes driver regained the top spot with a tenth in hand over Verstappen, while teammate Lewis Hamilton climbed to third spot.”
Perez, meanwhile, found himself in the drop zone with five minutes remaining and eventually exited the session in 12th place.
Sauber’s miserable season continued, with Valtteri Bottas also knocked out, while Guanyu Zhou recorded the slowest time. Nico Hulkenberg’s one-lap pace deserted him, and he qualified on the last row alongside Alpine’s Esteban Ocon in 18th place.
The Q2 session saw the remaining 15 drivers take to the track, with Oscar Piastri bouncing back from his earlier scare to set the fastest initial time. Russell soon usurped that, going 0.139s quicker. Verstappen, who had to use two sets of soft tires to progress, conducted his initial Q2 run on used tires and eventually secured his passage to the pole position shootout.
Ferrari’s struggles worsened, with Sainz and Leclerc both eliminated, paving the way for the Red Bull drivers to progress. Alex Albon’s Williams also made it through to Q3 for the second consecutive race.
In the pole position shootout, Russell and Hamilton locked out the top two places, with Norris up in third for McLaren. Verstappen initially set the pace, but the Mercedes pair demoted him to third as Russell took provisional pole.
Hamilton’s potential position on the front row was short-lived, as Piastri and Norris propelled their McLarens into second and third, respectively. However, Verstappen’s blinding opening sector brought him back into contention, and he eventually crossed the line with an identical time to Russell, ensuring the Mercedes driver’s pole position.
The final grid positions saw Norris in third, Piastri in fourth, and Daniel Ricciardo excelling to place his Red Bull inside the top five. Fernando Alonso was the lead Aston Martin car in sixth place, with Hamilton down in seventh, 0.280s off the pace. Lance Stroll reached Q3 at his home grand prix for the first time, finishing ninth, while Albon completed the top 10 spots for Williams.
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