The Canadian Grand Prix qualifying session kicked off with three segments, starting with Q1, where the top drivers vied for a chance to advance to the subsequent rounds. Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing emerged as the fastest driver in the session, followed closely by Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin and Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes. While Verstappen set the early pace, Alonso briefly took the lead before Verstappen reclaimed the top spot. Meanwhile, five drivers failed to make it through Q1, including Yuki Tsunoda, Pierre Gasly, Nyck de Vries, Logan Sargeant, and Zhou Guanyu.
In the damp and drying conditions on intermediate tires, Max Verstappen wasted no time in asserting his dominance during Q1. Initially, he set the pace with a lap time of 1m21.988s, but he continued to push and improved to 1m21.739s in the closing minutes. However, Fernando Alonso showcased his skill by surpassing Verstappen, clocking an impressive time of 1m21.583s and then further lowering it to 1m21.481s. Nevertheless, Verstappen demonstrated his determination and ended Q1 on top with a rapid lap time of 1m20.851s.
Unfortunately, Q1 marked the end of the qualifying journey for five drivers. Yuki Tsunoda from AlphaTauri, Pierre Gasly from Alpine, Nyck de Vries from AlphaTauri, Logan Sargeant from Williams, and Zhou Guanyu faced disappointment as they failed to progress to Q2. Gasly, in particular, expressed frustration as he felt his last lap was hindered by Carlos Sainz, which resulted in his elimination.
Canadian Grand Prix qualifying results: Verstappen on pole
| Cla | Nº | Driver | Car / Engine | Time | Gap [s] |
Delay [%] |
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull/Honda RBPT | 1’25.858 | – | – |
| 2 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin/Mercedes | 1’27.286 | 1.428 | 1.663 |
| 3 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1’27.627 | 1.769 | 2.060 |
| 4 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1’27.893 | 2.035 | 2.370 |
| 5 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas/Ferrari | 1’27.102 | 1.244 | 1.449 |
| 3-place penalty for failing to stay above the minimum time set by the FIA ECU during a red flag |
||||||
| 6 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine/Renault | 1’27.945 | 2.087 | 2.431 |
| 7 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren/Mercedes | 1’28.046 | 2.188 | 2.548 |
| 8 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren/Mercedes | 1’31.349 | 5.491 | 6.395 |
| 9 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams/Mercedes | – | – | – |
| 10 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1’20.615 | -5.243 | -6.107 |
| 11 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | Ferrari | 1’29.294 | 3.436 | 4.002 |
| 3-place penalty for impeding another driver |
||||||
| 12 | 11 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull/Honda RBPT | 1’20.959 | -4.899 | -5.706 |
| 13 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas/Ferrari | 1’21.678 | -4.180 | -4.869 |
| 14 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo/Ferrari | 1’21.821 | -4.037 | -4.702 |
| 15 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine/Renault | 1’22.886 | -2.972 | -3.462 |
| 16 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin/Mercedes | 1’21.484 | -4.374 | -5.094 |
| 3-place penalty for impeding another driver |
||||||
| 17 | 21 | Nyck de Vries | AlphaTauri/Honda RBPT | 1’23.137 | -2.721 | -3.169 |
| 18 | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams/Mercedes | 1’23.337 | -2.521 | -2.936 |
| 19 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri/Honda RBPT | 1’22.746 | -3.112 | -3.625 |
| 3-place penalty for impeding another driver |
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| 20 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo/Ferrari | 1’23.342 | -2.516 | -2.930 |
