Formula 1 – Canadian Grand Prix Qualifying: Live times and lap-by-lap updates as Ferrari and McLaren look to continue their battle with Red Bull

A large queue of cars at the end of the pit lane, led by Valtteri Bottas, and we have the green light to start the session.

Wow, there’s an 80% chance of rain in the next hour, according to the latest weather reports.

That aforementioned wind in Montreal is changing the weather pretty quickly, and now it looks like we could be in for a wet session. Exciting news!

Lock yourselves in, because it’s almost time to go out in Montreal.

The drivers are establishing themselves and we are close to the start of Q1.

The wind has really picked up here, let’s see if that causes any damage to the track.

This is where we are, officially, with drivers for 2025.

Of course, we’re going to report Bearman to Haas, so shut that down too.

Elsewhere, it would be a big surprise if Lance Stroll were removed from Aston Martin given his father owns the team.

At Mercedes, it looks increasingly likely that youngster Kimi Antontelli will replace Lewis Hamilton, with Liam Lawson most favored to join Tsunoda at RB.

Any thoughts on the others? Tweet me @bennagle17 or comment below!

Montreal is famous for its final-turn Wall of Champions, named for the large number of winners who ended up at its mercy.

Just this morning, Max Verstappen suffered a small knock and got away with it, while Alex Albon also suffered some damage. Wait a little longer where that came from when the real action starts in just 15 minutes.

Who is my money on? Well, since you asked…

I think Red Bull and Max Verstappen will have solved their problems in FP1 and FP2 so that the Dutchman can work at full speed again. There have been a lot of question marks about whether he is still as dominant as before, but my prediction is that he will pull a big lap out of the bag and take pole.

Behind him, I think Oscar Piastri will complete the front row, with Lewis Hamilton third. Norris P4 and Sergio Pérez P5.

It’s worth taking a screenshot so you have it later.

The young Brit, who is still only 19 years old, was walking around the paddock this morning with a big smile on his face. It’s almost as if he had good news.

The stands are filling up and we are only half an hour away from the start of the session here in Montreal.

The weather is a mix of clouds and sun, and is expected to remain dry at all times. The excitement really builds.

So after Mail Sport broke the Bearman news to Haas, there is another confirmed place on the grid for 2025 with Yuki Tsunoda remaining at RB.

There are still some doubts over who will be alongside him, with current teammate Daniel Ricciardo out of contract at the end of 2024. Liam Lawson still appears to be an option.

They were one of the last teams to confirm their 2024 lineup, so don’t expect it to be finalized anytime soon.

As for Bearman’s partner at Haas, that is also yet to be decided. Nico Hulkenberg is definitely leaving for Sauber (soon to be Audi!), and there are question marks over whether they will move away from Kevin Magnussen in a new direction. Some options: Bottas, Zhou, Ocon

We had heard whispers in the paddock this afternoon, and now it’s official: Yuki Tsunoda will stay with Red Bull’s sister team, Visa Cash App RB, by 2025.

This is how everyone shook at the end of FP3…

Well, that’s the million dollar question. But it looks like it will be much, much closer than it would have been a couple of months ago.

Much to the excitement of most F1 fans, Red Bull’s dominance appears to be easing slightly, and there are some question marks over how they will perform in Montreal this afternoon and in tomorrow’s race.

In FP3, which ended about an hour ago, Lewis Hamilton put in an incredibly fast lap to top the timesheets, so we’ll wait to see if that was an anomaly or a sign of things to come.

Otherwise, McLaren looks very fast again, Aston Martin is having a good weekend and Ferrari seems considerably off the pace they anticipated. That said, the real work begins in qualifying, so we’ll see what happens.

As we prepare for qualifying (T-minus 50 minutes now), here’s a look at why this race is so beloved and is perhaps the best North America has to offer.

It’s been a crazy couple of days here in Montreal. Yesterday’s first day of racing was marred by thunderstorms, hail and heavy rain ahead of FP1, and then this morning we had brilliant sunshine for FP3.

In the last hour it has rained heavily again, but the sun has already risen again and there does not seem to be any more forecast.

From a racing point of view, it would have been nice to have a wet session, but it seems unlikely!

Where better to start than with an exclusive story from my esteemed colleague Jonathan McEvoy, who this morning broke the news that young English sensation Oliver Bearman will be joining Haas for the 2025 season.

He starred earlier in the season when he jumped into a Ferrari in Jeddah, and has now been strapped in for his first season in the sport.

For the full story, click below…

Hello and welcome to Mail Sport’s live blog for the Canadian Grand Prix qualifying session.

I’m Ben Nagle and you join me live from the Montreal track, where preparations are underway for the session, which begins in just under an hour.