Following three winners in the previous three Grand Prix, the competitive 2024 Formula 1 season continued with its second transatlantic journey of the year to the beloved and often eventful Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.
Race Guide
Date: 7 June 2024 – 9 June 2024
Circuit: Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve
Laps: 70
Circuit length: 4.361km
2023 winner: Max Verstappen
Breaking from the European races that fill most of the F1 summer schedule, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve hosted the season’s ninth round. The circuit, a partial street track known for its thrilling races and notorious ‘Wall of Champions’, was the first of five races in six weeks ahead of the season’s summer break. The track setting the stage perfectly, boasting some of the world’s most enthusiastic and dedicated F1 fans, who were certain to generate an electrifying atmosphere. The weekend’s weather also seemed poised to enhance the event’s drama with wet weather on the way across each day.
Weekend schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 7 June 2024 | Free Practice 1 (FP1) | 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm local time |
| 7 June 2024 | Free Practice 2 (FP2) | 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm local time |
| 8 June 2024 | Free Practice 3 (FP3) | 12:30 pm – 13:30 pm local time |
| 8 June 2024 | Qualifying | 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm local time |
| 9 June 2024 | Race | 2:00 pm local time |
Friday’s FP1 session was rain-soaked and saw McLaren’s Lando Norris clock the fastest time, outpacing Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz (2nd) and Charles Leclerc (3rd), as well as Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in fourth. FP2 was no different with further disruption by rain. Fernando Alonso secured the quickest lap ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell (2nd) and Lance Stroll (3rd), during a session that saw championship leader Max Verstappen encounter an engine fire. Come Saturday, in a dry FP3, Lewis Hamilton topped the timesheets, ahead of Max Verstappen (2nd) and George Russell (3rd).
In Saturday afternoon qualifying, George Russell stunned the paddock with a strong performance to claim pole in a Mercedes that had been troubled all season. In a more remarkable event, Max Verstappen set an identical time, but Russell secured pole by posting his 1:12.000 lap time before Verstappen. This marked Russell’s second career pole in F1 and the first for Mercedes since last year’s Hungarian Grand Prix. Lando Norris narrowly missed the top spot by just 0.021s, securing third place for McLaren, just ahead of his teammate Oscar Piastri. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton, who demonstrated impressive speed in the final practice, had to settle for seventh place.
On Sunday, Max Verstappen triumphed in a turbulent and enthralling race, while Lando Norris and George Russell were left to ponder missed opportunities following a dramatic race characterised by intermittent rain in Montreal. The unpredictable 70-lap event saw four lead changes and two Safety Car interventions due to crashes. Verstappen skillfully claimed victory, bouncing back impressively just two weeks after Red Bull’s disappointing performance in Monaco. This victory marked his sixth of the ’24 season, widening his lead in the world championship standings to a more substantial 56 points.
Championship background
Red Bull began the 2024 season strongly, securing one-two finishes and four victories in the first five races. However, coming into Canada, they had claimed only one win in the subsequent three races, as Ferrari and McLaren ramped up the development of their cars to put pressure on the constructors’ leaders.
Notably, Max Verstappen was overtaken by Lando Norris in Miami, aided by a mid-race Safety Car, while Charles Leclerc dominated the Monaco race, stirring up the championship battle on his home turf.
Red Bull’s RB20 had difficulties with the demanding twists and uneven surfaces of the Monte Carlo track, a challenge they would face again at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
With the championship seeing a potential three-team race fight, the standings were getting increasingly close, with Verstappen ahead of Leclerc by a slim 31 points, and Red Bull leading Ferrari by just 24 points. As the season progressed into its next phase away from Europe, the competition remained wide open.
In addition to the championship shifting away from Red Bull, on the eve of the Montreal weekend, Alpine declared that they would end their five-year tenure with Esteban Ocon at the end of the 2024 season.
Race entries
Away from the twisty Monaco track, reserve drivers made a return to the calender. Alpine revealed that their reserve driver, Jack Doohan, would replace Esteban Ocon for the opening free practice session at the Canadian Grand Prix on Friday.
In 2024, every team must field a rookie — defined as a driver who has started two or fewer Grand Prix races — in two FP1 sessions each season. Until the ’24 Canadian weekend, Doohan had participated in four practice sessions as part of the Alpine junior program. He made his initial appearances in Mexico and Abu Dhabi in 2022 and returned to the same tracks for further sessions in 2023.
Aside from FP1, which featured Doohan, all the drivers from the start of the season took to the track during FP2, FP3, Qualifying and the Grand Prix.
Tyre choices
F1’s designated tyre provider, Pirelli, delivered the C3, C4, and C5 tyre compounds to the Montreal event. These were the softest options in their 2024 season lineup and identical to those chosen for the 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and 2024 Monaco Grand Prix.
Drivers received two sets of hard tyres (indicated by white markings), three sets of medium tyres (marked in yellow), and eight sets of soft tyres (identified by red markings). Additionally, green-marked intermediate and blue-marked full-wet tyres were available.
Pirelli’s weekend preview noted a significant update for the 2024 event: the entire track had been resurfaced, and the curbs had been replaced. Theoretically, the track’s inherent low abrasiveness and corresponding reduced grip would stay consistent. Still, concrete evidence would only be available after Pirelli engineers conducted their initial measurement tests on the Wednesday before the race weekend, adding some jeopardy for the teams’ strategic teams.
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Free Practice
In Friday’s first practice session, FP1, Lando Norris recorded the fastest time, edging out Carlos Sainz after a massive hailstorm limited the initial running. In the last six minutes, drivers switched to dry tyres as the track dried rapidly, leading to a flurry of fast laps towards the end of the session. Norris finished 0.328 seconds ahead of Sainz, while Monaco race-winner Charles Leclerc was another half second behind in third place.
During FP2, Fernando Alonso clocked the fastest lap in a rain-disrupted Free Practice 2 session at the Canadian Grand Prix. The Spaniard took advantage of drier conditions earlier in the session to set his quickest time. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen’s session was cut short due to a technical issue.
On Saturday during FP3, despite expectations for more predictable outcomes in a dry session, the results were surprising. Lewis Hamilton topped the timesheet, finishing 0.374 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen, with Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate, George Russell, coming in third. Based on those results, Mercedes appeared suprisingly competitive for the first time in the season, at least for single-lap speeds.
Full Free Practice Reports
Free Practice 1 Classification
FP1 was held on 7 June 2024, at 1:30 pm local time.
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 1:24.435 | 8 | |
| 2 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1:24.763 | +0.328s | 11 |
| 3 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:25.306 | +0.871s | 11 |
| 4 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:25.970 | +1.535s | 11 |
| 5 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 1:26.502 | +2.067s | 10 |
| 6 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 1:26.754 | +2.319s | 7 |
| 7 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 1:27.584 | +3.149s | 8 |
| 8 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 1:27.670 | +3.235s | 11 |
| 9 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 1:28.058 | +3.623s | 10 |
| 10 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:28.541 | +4.106s | 9 |
| 11 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB Honda RBPT | 1:28.582 | +4.147s | 9 |
| 12 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT | 1:28.723 | +4.288s | 9 |
| 13 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 1:29.052 | +4.617s | 8 |
| 14 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas Ferrari | 1:32.826 | +8.391s | 5 |
| 15 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 1:33.411 | +8.976s | 4 |
| 16 | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams Mercedes | 1:36.586 | +12.151s | 5 |
| 17 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 1:40.530 | +16.095s | 4 |
| 18 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 4 | ||
| 19 | 61 | Jack Doohan1 | Alpine Renault | 3 | ||
| 20 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 4 |
Free Practice 2 Classification
FP2 was held on 7 June 2024, at 5:00 pm local time.
Free Practice 3 Classification
FP3 was held on 8 June 2024, at 12:30 pm local time.
Qualifying
George Russell claimed pole position for Mercedes, in a remarkable qualifying session where he outpaced Max Verstappen in the Red Bull, even though both drivers recorded identical lap times.
Russell initially took the lead in Q3 with a lap time of 1m 12.000s. Despite Verstappen’s improvements in his final runs, he only managed to match Russell’s time, which placed him second. Lando Norris recorded third in the McLaren-Mercedes. This was the second time in F1 history, since the introduction of three-decimal place timing, that two drivers recorded identical times for pole position.
Full Qualifying Report
Qualifying Classification
Qualifying was held on 8 June 2024, at 4:00 pm local time.
What happened in the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix?
On Sunday morning, a bout of heavy rain drenched the track, though conditions began to improve slightly over an hour before the race’s scheduled 2:00 pm local start. Despite this, the recently resurfaced track remained waterlogged.
Light drizzle persisted, necessitating the use of intermediate and wet tyres during the preliminary laps. Notably, Ocon started at the back due to a penalty from the previous race in Monaco, while Bottas and Zhou began from the pit lane after Kick Sauber opted to change their rear wings.
As the drivers removed their tyre warmers under threatening skies and intermittent rain, most were equipped with intermediate tyres, except for Haas, which chose wets for both Magnussen and Hulkenberg.
At the race start, Russell maintained his pole position into the first turn, keeping ahead of Verstappen. He was closely followed by the McLaren duo of Norris and Piastri, while Alonso and Hamilton managed to overtake fifth-placed qualifier Ricciardo.
The decision to use wet tyres seemed beneficial for Haas, as Magnussen climbed to eighth position, narrowly ahead of local favourite Stroll, who nearly collided with Leclerc at the final chicane after the latter miscalculated his braking and veered off track.
With the arrival of another rain band, as predicted, the Haas drivers gained further ground. Magnussen overtook Ricciardo, Hamilton, and Alonso in rapid succession, soaring to fifth place, while Hulkenberg moved into the points just behind Stroll.
At this stage, Russell, leading the race, was informed, “This level of rain is the worst we expect,” as he maintained a slight lead over Verstappen. Meanwhile, Magnussen continued his impressive ascent, closing in on Norris and Piastri’s McLarens.
Magnussen, lapping over a second faster than those ahead, soon passed Piastri for fourth place, and Hulkenberg overtook Stroll and Ricciardo, advancing to eighth, much to the delight of the Haas team.
In contrast, Ferrari’s Leclerc and Sainz lingered in the midfield, out of the points. Leclerc’s situation worsened when his engineer noted a peculiar engine issue, prompting further investigation by the team.
As Magnussen prepared to challenge Norris, the weather cleared, revealing blue skies, and the track conditions shifted favorably toward intermediates, prompting Magnussen to pit for the green-marked tires on Lap 8, though his team was unprepared for the change.
As the track conditions fluctuated, Sargeant narrowly escaped a crash at Turn 6, Alonso had close calls at the final chicane and exiting Turn 1, and Hamilton ran off-track at Turn 1.
Replays from the start confirmed a collision between Perez and Gasly through Turn 2, resulting in damage to both cars, while stewards investigated a potential false start by Ricciardo.
Leclerc expressed frustration over his inability to overtake due to the engine problem, although he had managed to move into tenth place and a points position.
At the front, Russell continued to lead, though Verstappen reduced his lead to just 1.2 seconds as they reached double-digit laps, with Norris trailing by six seconds in third and Piastri similarly behind his teammate.
As the track began to dry, revealing a clear racing line, Ricciardo surged past Hulkenberg into the final chicane to claim seventh place, only to receive a five-second penalty soon after for his earlier false start. Hulkenberg, still on wet tyres, opted to switch to intermediates shortly thereafter.
The next update to race leader Russell predicted another rain shower in 20 minutes, intensifying the pressure from Verstappen. Russell, concerned about tyre wear, responded, “Tell me what you’d like me to do then… These tyres are going to wear out very quickly.”
By Lap 15, Verstappen was closely trailing Russell, both searching for remaining wet areas to preserve their intermediate tyres. Meanwhile, Norris was quickly closing the gap to the front-runners. The looming question was whether the track would dry sufficiently for slicks before more rain arrived.
Verstappen then briefly went off-track at Turn 1, skimming over the kerbs and narrowly maintaining his lead over Norris, who began to aggressively challenge the Red Bull, aided by the newly enabled DRS.
By Lap 20, Norris used DRS to overtake Verstappen on the back straight. A lap later, he executed a similar manoeuvre against Russell, seizing the lead. Following Norris’ pass, Russell misjudged the final chicane and cut straight through, rejoining just as Verstappen, to avoid a collision, passed him for second place—an incident immediately flagged for review by the stewards.
With clear track ahead, Norris set a series of fastest laps to extend his lead over Verstappen. Russell, meanwhile, struggled to keep pace and soon fell prey to Piastri. The drama intensified when Sargeant spun out at the Turn 3/4 chicane, bringing out a Safety Car.
Verstappen, Russell, Piastri, Alonso, and Hamilton took this chance to pit for fresh intermediates. However, Norris, with a 10-second lead, missed the window to pit and completed an extra lap before he could change tyres.
After the pit stops, with only Tsunoda, Ocon, and Bottas staying out, Verstappen and Russell moved back into the top positions. “What goes around, comes around. That’s Miami back,” came Verstappen’s radio message.
In a bold move just before the Safety Car ended on Lap 29, Leclerc decided to gamble on slick tyres despite ongoing power unit issues and imminent rain, hoping to turn his fortunes around.
Verstappen executed a flawless restart, maintaining his lead over Russell into Turn 1, while Norris held onto third ahead of Piastri, Hamilton, Alonso, Tsunoda, and Stroll. Albon, meanwhile, cleverly overtook Ricciardo and Ocon at the final chicane, climbing to ninth place.
Leclerc was instructed to “Just keep the car on track,” right before a downpour forced him to pit for intermediates. His teammate Sainz wasn’t faring much better, having sustained some front wing damage amidst the midfield battle, leaving Ferrari struggling to secure even a single point.
As the race resumed, the stewards investigated an incident involving Sainz, Bottas, and Ricciardo at the restart that likely caused the Spaniard’s damage. Verstappen maintained a slight lead over Russell, with all drivers seeking damper patches to preserve their intermediates.
Norris again showcased his speed, lapping significantly faster than both Russell and Verstappen in the challenging conditions, hinting at a potential three-way battle for the lead, with Piastri and Hamilton also pushing to join the fray.
By Lap 40, Russell communicated to his team that all corners except Turns 1 and 2 had dried, prompting Gasly to switch back to slick tyres—a move closely monitored by other teams.
Norris briefly lost ground with a lock-up and wide turn at Turn 1, allowing Piastri to close in for a chance at third place. Russell reported losing “one-and-a-half seconds” due to having to avoid Norris.
Following Gasly’s switch to hard tyres, a flurry of pit stops ensued. Hamilton, Ricciardo, Sainz, Perez, Bottas, and Magnussen all opted for mediums, while Leclerc pitted only to retire alongside Sargeant due to ongoing issues.
Piastri, Alonso, Tsunoda, Stroll, Ocon, Albon, Hulkenberg, and Zhou all pitted for new tyres, with the top three—Verstappen, Russell, and Norris—extending their stint on intermediates for another lap.
When they finally pitted, Verstappen and Russell opted for medium and hard tyres, respectively, but Norris continued on intermediates for a few more laps, still setting competitive times.
Norris eventually pitted on Lap 47 for mediums, rejoining the race neck-and-neck with Verstappen, who immediately took advantage of his warmer tyres. Russell and Piastri then increased the pressure, with Russell overtaking Norris following a mistake at the hairpin.
Russell, however, made a misstep at the Turn 3/4 chicane, allowing Norris to regain second place, echoing his “holy moly” moment from qualifying and leading to an intense radio message from Mercedes boss Toto Wolff urging him to “Focus, George, focus.”
As Verstappen extended his lead past five seconds, Perez lost control under braking at Turn 6 and slid into the barriers, ending his race in the pits alongside Leclerc and Sargeant.
The drama continued when Sainz and Albon collided at Turn 7 under unusual circumstances, with replays showing Sainz spinning and Albon’s Williams unable to avoid the Ferrari.
With the Safety Car deployed once again, Russell and Hamilton pitted for medium tires, rejoining the race behind Verstappen, Norris, and Piastri. As the race resumed, Alonso, Stroll, Tsunoda, Ocon, and Ricciardo rounded out the points positions.
In the final laps, Verstappen and Norris pulled away while Piastri, Russell, and Hamilton engaged in a tense battle for the final podium spot, narrowly avoiding a collision.
Initially, Russell and Piastri clashed wheels at the last chicane on Lap 64, an incident currently under review by the stewards. This resulted in Russell falling behind his teammate Hamilton. Two laps later, Hamilton overtook Piastri at the same location to move into third place.
The action didn’t stop there; Russell overtook Piastri on Lap 67 and quickly caught up to Hamilton. Amid “keep it clean” messages from the Mercedes team, Russell managed to overtake Hamilton for third place on the second-to-last lap.
Meanwhile, Tsunoda lost control at the Turn 8/9 chicane and veered across the grass. Although he corrected his course, the incident dropped him well out of the points.
Verstappen completed his final lap without issue, clinching his sixth victory in nine races this season. Norris finished second, with Russell clinching third after his late charge. Hamilton ended up fourth, followed by Piastri and the Aston Martins. Ricciardo and the Alpines rounded out the points, the latter team’s dynamics marked by team orders that left Ocon visibly frustrated.
Haas narrowly missed scoring points, finishing in P11 and P12. Tsunoda, sandwiched between the Kick Sauber teammates Bottas and Zhou, finished in P14, lamenting his costly error. Sainz, Albon, Perez, Leclerc, and Sargeant, affected by various incidents, watched the race conclude from the sidelines.
2024 Canadian Grand Prix race results
The 2024 Canadian Grand Prix Race was held on 9 June 2024, at 2:00 pm local time.
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/Retired | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 70 | 1:45:47.927 | 25 |
| 2 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 70 | +3.879s | 18 |
| 3 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 70 | +4.317s | 15 |
| 4 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton1 | Mercedes | 70 | +4.915s | 13 |
| 5 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 70 | +10.199s | 10 |
| 6 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 70 | +17.510s | 8 |
| 7 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 70 | +23.625s | 6 |
| 8 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB Honda RBPT | 70 | +28.672s | 4 |
| 9 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 70 | +30.021s | 2 |
| 10 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault | 70 | +30.313s | 1 |
| 11 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas Ferrari | 70 | +30.824s | 0 |
| 12 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 70 | +31.253s | 0 |
| 13 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 70 | +40.487s | 0 |
| 14 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT | 70 | +52.694s | 0 |
| 15 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 69 | +1 lap | 0 |
| NC | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 52 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 52 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 51 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 40 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams Mercedes | 23 | DNF | 0 |
2024 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings
Championship standings for Drivers’ and Teams after the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix.
2024 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings
| Pos | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | NED | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 194 |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | MON | Ferrari | 138 |
| 3 | Lando Norris | GBR | McLaren | 131 |
| 4 | Carlos Sainz | ESP | Ferrari | 108 |
| 5 | Sergio Pérez | MEX | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 107 |
| 6 | Oscar Piastri | AUS | McLaren | 81 |
| 7 | George Russell | GBR | Mercedes | 69 |
| 8 | Lewis Hamilton | GBR | Mercedes | 55 |
| 9 | Fernando Alonso | ESP | Aston Martin Mercedes | 41 |
| 10 | Yuki Tsunoda | JPN | RB-Honda RBPT | 19 |
| 11 | Lance Stroll | CAN | Aston Martin Mercedes | 17 |
| 12 | Daniel Ricciardo | AUS | RB-Honda RBPT | 9 |
| 13 | Oliver Bearman | GBR | Ferrari | 6 |
| 14 | Nico Hulkenberg | GER | Haas Ferrari | 6 |
| 15 | Pierre Gasly | FRA | Alpine Renault | 3 |
| 16 | Alexander Albon | THA | Williams Mercedes | 2 |
| 17 | Esteban Ocon | FRA | Alpine Renault | 2 |
| 18 | Kevin Magnussen | DEN | Haas Ferrari | 1 |
| 19 | Zhou Guanyu | CHN | Stake F1 Team | 0 |
| 20 | Valtteri Bottas | FIN | Stake F1 Team | 0 |
| 21 | Logan Sargeant | USA | Williams Mercedes | 0 |
2024 Post-Race F1 Constructors’ Championship Standings
| Pos | Team | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 301 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 252 |
| 3 | McLaren Mercedes | 212 |
| 4 | Mercedes | 124 |
| 5 | Aston Martin Mercedes | 58 |
| 6 | RB-Honda RBPT | 28 |
| 7 | Haas Ferrari | 7 |
| 8 | Alpine Renault | 5 |
| 9 | Williams Mercedes | 2 |
| 10 | Stake F1 Team | 0 |
Source: formula1.com
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