In the first qualifying dead heat since 1997, Russell recorded Mercedes’ first pole of the year and neither Ferrari driver qualified in the top ten in Canada for the first time in almost 40 years. Here are the facts and statistics from qualifying at the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix.
RUSSELL ON POLE FOR 2024 CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
George Russell took pole position for the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix, securing the third pole of his Formula 1 career. Russell last took pole at the 2022 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, doing so by winning the F1 Sprint. This is the second time Russell has taken pole as the result of a conventional qualifying session – he last did so at the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix.
This was Mercedes’ first pole position since Lewis Hamilton set the fastest lap time in qualifying for the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix. It was Mercedes’ first pole position at the Canadian Grand Prix since 2017.
Russell set an identical lap time to Max Verstappen in Q3, with the Mercedes driver taking pole as a result of setting his lap time first. It’s the 16th time in total that multiple drivers have set the same lap time for pole position – but only the second time it has happened since Formula 1 started timing laps to thousandths of seconds. The last time it happened, three drivers set identical lap times for pole position at the 1997 European Grand Prix.
Russell’s pole was the ninth for Mercedes power at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, equalling Renault as the engine manufacturer with the most pole positions at the track.
IN THE TOP 10
Max Verstappen qualified on the front of the grid for a third successive Canadian Grand Prix. This was the first time since 2019 that he did not take pole position at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Lando Norris equalled his best qualifying result of the season so far with third place. This was the first time Norris has qualified in the top six at the Canadian Grand Prix.
The 2024 Canadian Grand Prix was the tenth consecutive Grand Prix weekend at which both McLaren drivers qualified in the top ten. It is the team’s first streak of ten double Q3 appearances in 12 years.
With Norris second and Oscar Piastri fourth, this was the first time both McLaren drivers qualified in the top four at the Canadian Grand Prix since 2007, when the team locked-out the front row.
With seventh place, Lewis Hamilton equalled his best qualifying result of the season to date. This was the first time in his career that Hamilton has qualified outside of the top five at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Daniel Ricciardo appeared in Q3 for the second time this season. Qualifying fifth for the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix, Ricciardo recorded his best qualifying result of the season to date and his first top five qualification since the 2023 Mexico City Grand Prix.
Fernando Alonso reached Q3 for the first time since the Chinese Grand Prix.
Yuki Tsunoda reached Q3 for a fourth consecutive race weekend. This is the first time in his career that Tsunoda has made four consecutive Q3 appearances. This was Tunoda’s first Q3 appearance at the Canadian Grand Prix.
2024 marks the first double Q3 appearance at the Canadian Grand Prix for the Red Bull junior team since 2013. It was the first time in the team’s history that both drivers qualified in the top eight for the Montreal race.
Lance Stroll qualified in ninth place for the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix, equalling his best qualifying result of the season to date. This was Stroll’s third Q3 appearance of the season – his first since the Australian Grand Prix, where he also qualified ninth.
This was Stroll’s first-ever Q3 appearance at his home event.
With both Alonso and Stroll qualifying in the top ten, this was the Silverstone-based team’s first double top ten qualification at the Canadian Grand Prix since 2018.
Alex Albon progressed to Q3 for the second consecutive race. It’s the first time a Williams driver has reached Q3 at two races in a row since he did so at the 2023 Dutch and Italian Grands Prix.
This was the second consecutive season in which Albon has qualified tenth for the Canadian Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Piastri both maintained their 100% Q3 appearance records at the Canadian Grand Prix – a group which features only five drivers in total.
OUT IN Q2
For the first time since 1986, neither Ferrari driver qualified in the top ten for the Canadian Grand Prix. Both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were eliminated in Q2, each recording their worst qualifying results of the season to date.
Since 2006, this was only the 15th time that neither Ferrari driver appeared in Q3. It is the first time it has happened since the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix.
Leclerc’s Q2 exit ended a streak of 22 consecutive Q3 appearances. This was his first Q2 exit since exiting in Q2 at the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix, 12 months previously.
This was the first time Sainz failed to reach Q3 at the Canadian Grand Prix since 2017.
With both Ferrari drivers out in Q2, Max Verstappen, George Russell, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are now the only drivers who’ve reached Q3 at every round of the 2024 season.
For the first time in 2024, Logan Sargeant progressed to Q2. This was the first time he made it out of Q1 since reaching Q3 at the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
From his 30 qualifying appearances, this was the sixth time that Sargeant made it out of Q1.
With Kevin Magnussen out in Q2 and Nico Hulkenberg exiting in Q1, 2024 was the first time since 2018 that neither Haas driver qualified in the top ten for the Canadian Grand Prix.
While Esteban Ocon was out in Q1, Pierre Gasly reached Q2. This was the first time since 2016 that neither of the Enstone team’s drivers reached Q3 at the Canadian Grand Prix.
OUT IN Q1
Sergio Perez was eliminated in Q1 for a second consecutive race. This marked the first time Perez has recorded Q1 exits at successive races since the 2019 Monaco and Canadian Grands Prix.
Perez has now missed out on Q3 at all of the last three races.
This is the fourth consecutive Canadian Grand Prix weekend at which Perez has failed to qualify in the top ten. It was his first Q1 exit at the Montreal track since 2019.
With both Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu out in Q1, the Sauber team (in all their guises) reached 250 Q1 exits since the current qualifying system was introduced in 2006.
This was Sauber’s fourth consecutive double Q1 exit.
Zhou Guanyu qualified 20th for the fifth time this season.
Esteban Ocon was eliminated in Q1, losing his 100% Q3 appearance rate at the Canadian Grand Prix.
This was Ocon’s third Q1 exit of the 2024 season – his first since the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Nico Hulkenberg recorded his worst qualifying result of the year to date with 19th place. This was his second Q1 exit of the season, after the Australian Grand Prix.
This was Hulkenberg’s first back row qualification since the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix.