Canadian GP race times, weather & BBC coverage

The ninth round of the 2024 Formula 1 season heads to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for the Canadian Grand Prix from June 7-9.

As there is a five-hour time difference between Montreal and the UK, lights for Sunday’s race will be at 19:00 BST.

George Russell took Mercedes’ first pole position of the season ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen on Saturday.

Russell and Verstappen set identical lap times of one minute and 12 seconds dead, but as the Briton scored first, he will start the race from pole position.

McLaren’s Lando Norris will start third on the grid.

Session start times and BBC coverage

There will be live radio commentary of the Canadian Grand Prix via the BBC Sport website and app, with Sunday’s race also available on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds.

You can also listen and download the checkered flag podcast, which previews and reviews each race of the season.

All BST times

Sunday June 9

Race – 19:00 (BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds)

What is the weather forecast for the Canadian GP?

Saturday’s qualifying avoided rain during the fight for pole position, but there could be some wet weather on Sunday for the 70-lap race, which starts at 2 pm local time.

The current forecast for Montreal is for heavy rain and a gentle breeze, with temperatures around 18 degrees.

Will Esteban Ocon drive for Alpine in Canada?

Esteban Ocon confirmed last week that he will take part in the Canadian Grand Prix after he was found guilty of a first-lap collision with Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly in Monaco.

The 27-year-old driver received a five-place grid penalty for this weekend’s race as a result of the accident.

However, on Monday Ocon was announced. will leave alpine after five years at the end of the 2024 season.

Both parties presented their split as a mutual decision in a joint statement, saying they had “agreed together”.

What is the Gilles Villeneuve circuit like?

The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, named after the Canadian Formula 1 driver Gilles Villeneuve, who took his first victory at the track in 1978, but who died after an accident during qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix in 1982, is a test fast and low downforce that remains one of the drivers’ favorites.

The 4.361km track has 14 corners, two DRS zones and is fairly stop-and-go in nature, with long straights ending in chicanes with heavy braking. On Sunday, the grand prix will be held over 70 laps.

One section that makes the circuit unique is the ‘Wall of Champions’, a concrete wall at the end of the lap that many of the sport’s most famous names have crashed into.

Over the weekend in 1999, title winners Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve and Michael Schumacher fell at the infamous Montreal monument.