Russell reached the same time as three-time Red Bull world champion Max Verstappen in the ever-changing weather conditions at Ile Notre-Dame. However, Russell will start in first position for having set his lap time earlier.
This shows the recent improvement of Mercedes as they strive to secure their first win since Russell’s victory in Sao Paulo in 2022.
The top three drivers were separated by just two thousandths of a second, with McLaren’s Lando Norris starting in third place, followed by his teammate Oscar Piastri.
Russell is expecting a long race but is excited to be back among the competitive group. After Q3, he expressed his excitement over the radio, stating: “So much effort has been dedicated to this by the team back at the factory. We mentioned in Monaco that we hope this is the start of something for our season, and I believe it is.”
During the post-qualifying press conference, the 26-year-old British driver added: “I’ve missed this feeling. It’s such an exciting feeling. It’s been a while since we’ve experienced this. It took some time to get back into the fight, and it felt like our hard work wasn’t paying off. However, these past few weekends have really proved otherwise.”
“We’ve been incredibly fast throughout the weekend. That’s a good sign for the race. We’re going for the win because the car is really quick right now. However, it’s going to be a challenging and long race,” Russell predicted.
Lewis Hamilton, Russell’s teammate, expressed on Thursday that he believed Mercedes, with their new front wing, was getting closer to their first podium of the season. This was further emphasized by Hamilton’s impressive performance in the final practice session, showing Mercedes’ potential for pole position.
The seven-time Formula 1 world champion had a performance drop, finishing seventh in the race. However, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff expressed his satisfaction with the team’s progress, stating that they are heading in the right direction. The team introduced several upgrades in the last races, some more noticeable than others, but all aimed at improving the car’s performance.
Leading the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship, Verstappen had doubts about Red Bull’s chances at this circuit after facing difficulties in Monaco. He believed the aggressive kerbs would not be suitable for their car.
Verstappen was on course to match Russell’s time, but his teammate Sergio Perez, who recently signed a new contract, faced elimination in the first qualifying session for the second consecutive GP.
Ferrari, considered a favorite by many due to Charles Leclerc’s victory in Monaco, faced a shocking disappointment. Both drivers were eliminated in the second qualifying session and will start in 11th and 12th on Sunday.
McLaren has not scored points in Canada since Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen finished in the top ten in 2014. Despite this, Norris, who won his first Formula 1 race in Miami last month, is confident in his ability to compete for another victory.
After the classification, Norris expressed his confidence in the team’s race pace in the last races. He emphasized that they are in a tough fight and expects a good performance on Sunday. Norris is looking forward to the race and excited to see what they can achieve.
The top ten positions in the race are occupied by drivers from six different teams. It is worth noting that both Ferrari drivers, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, as well as Sergio Perez from Red Bull, will start outside the top ten positions. The 43rd edition of the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix promises to be an exciting and thrilling race, with the possibility of rain, according to various reports from agencies and quotes from Agnes Carlier in Montreal.
© 2024
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