Russell STORMS to Pole as Norris Falters Again!

By Ben Langley

George Russell snatched pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix with Max Verstappen qualifying second to set up a thrilling front row. Oscar Piastri finished third with teammate Lando Norris once again disappointing in the final runs as he could only qualify 7th.

What do the Sidepods do?

Q1 brought the only red flag of qualifying in dramatic circumstances. The engine cover of Alexander Albon flew off down the back straight to cause the suspension of the session. The first part of qualifying saw Carlos Sainz as the big name to be eliminated. The Spaniard was no doubt unfortunate after being blatantly impeded by Isack Hadjar which almost certainly caused the Williams driver’s early elimination as he ended up 17th. Gabriel Bortoleto, Lance Stroll, Liam Lawson and Pierre Gasly completed the Q1 knockouts.

Stroll Future update

Franco Colpainto showed good speed in qualifying as he outqualified Gasly to finish 12th. Nico Hulkenberg and the two Haas drivers Oliver Bearman and Estaban Ocon also fell at the second hurdle. Yuki Tsunoda qualified 11th, but will once again start at the back due to a red flag infringement in Practice 3.

Importance of Rear Wing’s in Formula 1

Verstappen led the opening Q3 attempts, with Piastri close behind. Norris had to abort his opening lap and his second lap put him only fifth. The session ended in dramatic fashion with Piastri taking provisional pole before Verstappen took it back once again. However, Russell saved his mega lap for the end as he took back-to-back Montreal poles. Norris couldn’t improve his time and he ended up a lowly 7th.

Race Dropped from F1 Calendar

Kimi Antonelli put in a solid outing in 4th, with Lewis Hamilton qualifying fifth and Fernando Alonso sixth. Charles Leclerc also struggled towards the end, as he claimed he was impeded by Hadjar on his final lap. Leclerc ended up 8th with Hadjar in 9th. Alexander Albon completed the top 10.

The History of McLaren

The grid will no doubt create plenty of intrigue for tomorrow’s race. Russell and Verstappen to duel once again and Norris looking to fight back and get himself in the mix. It’s a race not to be missed.