Max Verstappen claims Canadian F1 GP pole as Pérez and Leclerc trail

Max Verstappen took pole for the Canadian Grand Prix, delivering another dominant run in difficult, changeable conditions for Red Bull. With rain very much playing its part he beat the Haas of Nico Hülkenberg into second and the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso into third. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were in fourth and fifth for Mercedes. Alpine’s Esteban Ocon was sixth and McLaren’s Lando Norris in seventh.

Verstappen once more had the best pace in a qualifying session that had opened shortly after rain had hit the circuit and then returned again as the session progressed. Whether he might have been challenged remains moot as the final running was scuppered by the conditions but on every lap he put in, the world champion still looked to enjoy a comfortable advantage over the rest of the field.

He goes into the race as strong favourite to score another win for Red Bull, who remain unbeaten from seven meetings this season. If the team secure victory it will be their 100th since the team entered its debut race in 2005, having taken their first at the Chinese GP in 2009.

There is a further milestone on offer for the 25-year-old who should he secure his 41st victory will match Ayrton Senna’s wins. This weekend Hamilton conceded that his record tally of 103 wins, once thought to be untouchable, was potentially reachable by Verstappen.

With the rain still peppering the circuit and growing in intensity, the final session was defined by the earliest laps in Q3. Verstappen, out first, set the benchmark on his second lap with a time of 1minute 25.858 seconds only shortly after which running was stopped when Oscar Piastri put his McLaren in the wall, a decisive moment that ended the fight for pole. When they resumed qualifying