Until this weekend, Red Bull was the only team to have lapped quicker than McLaren at a grand prix weekend.
But Mercedes came good in qualifying and McLaren found themselves squeezed out of the top two for the first time this season.
Sector times
George Russell was the only driver among the top nine who set his three quickest sector times on the same lap. That underlines how good his last-gasp effort for pole position was.
Oscar Piastri did not have quite enough time in hand to beat Max Verstappen to second place, though the margins were tiny. Lando Norris, however, clearly under-performed.
The same must be said for the driver Norris will share the fourth row of the grid with, Charles Leclerc. Both could have set 1’11.2s which would have been good enough for at least fourth on the grid.
| P. | # | Driver | S1 | S2 | S3 | Ultimate lap (deficit) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 63 | George Russell | 19.781 (3) | 22.281 (1) | 28.837 (2) | 1’10.899 |
| 2 | 1 | Max Verstappen | 19.718 (2) | 22.400 (2) | 28.920 (5) | 1’11.038 (+0.021) |
| 3 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | 19.888 (6) | 22.480 (3) | 28.715 (1) | 1’11.083 (+0.037) |
| 4 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 19.877 (5) | 22.491 (4) | 28.842 (3) | 1’11.210 (+0.181) |
| 5 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | 19.713 (1) | 22.607 (8) | 28.923 (6) | 1’11.243 (+0.383) |
| 6 | 4 | Lando Norris | 19.790 (4) | 22.606 (7) | 28.886 (4) | 1’11.282 (+0.317) |
| 7 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | 19.995 (9) | 22.537 (5) | 28.987 (7) | 1’11.519 (+0.007) |
| 8 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | 19.893 (8) | 22.596 (6) | 29.062 (9) | 1’11.551 (+0.035) |
| 9 | 23 | Alexander Albon | 19.889 (7) | 22.630 (9) | 29.085 (10) | 1’11.604 (+0.288) |
| 10 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | 20.043 (10) | 22.789 (15) | 29.035 (8) | 1’11.867 |
| 11 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | 20.145 (15) | 22.645 (10) | 29.294 (16) | 1’12.084 (+0.058) |
| 12 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | 20.139 (14) | 22.714 (13) | 29.249 (15) | 1’12.102 |
| 13 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | 20.089 (12) | 22.679 (11) | 29.337 (18) | 1’12.105 (+0.201) |
| 14 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | 20.045 (11) | 22.713 (12) | 29.357 (20) | 1’12.115 (+0.552) |
| 15 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | 20.241 (17) | 22.771 (14) | 29.133 (11) | 1’12.145 (+0.038) |
| 16 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | 20.246 (18) | 22.906 (18) | 29.226 (14) | 1’12.378 |
| 17 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 20.332 (20) | 22.886 (16) | 29.167 (12) | 1’12.385 |
| 18 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | 20.270 (19) | 22.935 (19) | 29.193 (13) | 1’12.398 |
| 19 | 18 | Lance Stroll | 20.186 (16) | 22.891 (17) | 29.326 (17) | 1’12.403 (+0.114) |
| 20 | 30 | Liam Lawson | 20.119 (13) | 23.004 (20) | 29.337 (18) | 1’12.460 (+0.065) |
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Teams’ performance
In four of the five races before this weekend, Mercedes were the third-quickest team. However the W16’s affinity for cooler temperatures and lower-grip tracks opened the door for Russell to claim their first pole position of the season.
Ferrari may be only fourth but can at least console themselves with a much better showing than they managed last year. Had Leclerc put a clean lap together in Q3 they would surely be the most improved team year-on-year.
Williams flattered to deceive on Friday, however. Both drivers looked like Q3 candidates, and while Carlos Sainz Jnr was undone because Isack Hadjar held him up, Alexander Albon was disappointed to end up only 10th on the grid, before the Racing Bulls driver was penalised.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Field performance
Russell was the only driver to dip beneath the 1’11 mark in qualifying. F1 cars are lapping the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve faster than any time since 2019, though the track did not host F1 in the two years after that due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Miss nothing from RaceFans
Get a daily email with all our latest stories – and nothing else. No marketing, no ads. Sign up here:
2025 Canadian Grand Prix
- Piastri explains decision not to use McLaren’s new suspension
- Mercedes’ victory chances “a little bit out of our hands” despite pole in Canada
- Russell expects Verstappen will race rivals harder to “prove a point” in Canadian GP
- 2025 Canadian Grand Prix strategy briefing: All the data to follow the race with
- McLaren not among top two teams for first time this year: Lap time data