Q1

As the lights went green, most of the grid headed out on soft tyres to set early laps, while Alpine were the only team to take a different approach by running both of their cars on the medium compound.

The soft runners quickly found pace, and the timing screens lit up with improvements every minute. George Russell took an early lead, but that didn’t last long as others like Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso began to push harder. Kimi Antonelli was already frustrated on the radio, complaining about being blocked in the pit lane during his outlap. Alpine’s gamble on the mediums seemed to work early on, with both drivers briefly at the top of the standings.

Just as the session was heating up, the red flag came out. Alex Albon’s engine cover flew off his Williams, scattering debris on track and halting the session with just over five minutes left. After a short delay, the session resumed and drivers scrambled to improve their positions before time ran out.

In the end, Carlos Sainz, Lance Stroll, Liam Lawson, Pierre Gasly and Gabriel Bortoleto were the five drivers knocked out in Q1. Carlos Sainz missed out by the slimmest of margins and may feel hard done by, as Isack Hadjar is under investigation for potentially blocking him on a flying lap.

Q2

The second phase of qualifying got underway with the tension steadily rising, and Max Verstappen wasted no time in setting the benchmark. Running on the medium tyres, he looked calm and confident as he went quickest in the early stages, placing himself ahead of both McLarens and the Ferraris.

As the track continued to evolve, the times began to tumble once again. Charles Leclerc answered Verstappen’s effort with a strong lap of his own, briefly moving into the lead as the top teams jostled for position. George Russell, who had waited a little longer before showing his hand, then produced a rapid lap that put him at the top as the final minutes approached.

There was a good variety of tyre strategies in play, with a mix of mediums and softs on track, but no clear advantage either way. With just a few minutes to go, the field bunched up for one last push. The fight to reach the top ten was incredibly tight, with barely a second separating first and fifteenth.

In the end, it was Yuki Tsunoda, Franco Colapinto, Nico Hulkenberg, Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon who fell short and were eliminated from Q2.

Tsunoda had already been hit with a penalty and was guaranteed to start at the back, while Colapinto, though much improved in Montreal, was also noted for a potential rules breach. Ocon joined him under investigation for ignoring the race director’s instructions during the session.

Q3

The final part of qualifying got underway with everything still wide open. The battle for pole was expected to be incredibly tight, and right from the start, the top drivers didn’t disappoint.

Oscar Piastri was one of the first to strike, jumping to the top and briefly leading the session. Charles Leclerc also looked strong but made a mistake in the opening sector, which cost him dearly. Max Verstappen then put in a brilliant lap to take provisional pole, only for Piastri to respond once again and reclaim the top spot in a thrilling back-and-forth fight.

Lando Norris, meanwhile, made a costly error by running wide and missing the final chicane. Despite managing to get a lap on the board, it wasn’t the clean run he needed, and the moment proved crucial. Fernando Alonso quietly worked his way up the order and slotted into fourth, showing strong pace on the medium tyres.

At the end of an intense and thrilling session, George Russell took pole position ahead of Max Verstappen, with Oscar Piastri and Kimi Antonelli locking out the second row. Lewis Hamilton followed in fifth for Ferrari, with Fernando Alonso close behind in sixth after another solid showing for Aston Martin.

Lando Norris ended the session seventh after a costly mistake in the final chicane, while Charles Leclerc took eighth following an untidy lap. Isack Hadjar put in a standout performance to take ninth for Racing Bulls, and Alexander Albon rounded out the top ten with a strong effort for Williams.