“All the drivers will be nervous of this – it’s into the unknown,” says Martin Brundle on Sky, holding an umbrella above his head. “A magical mystery tour.” (All you need is wets?)
“This will be George and Kimi’s nightmare,” adds Jamie Chadwick of the conditions.
Call me Phil Connors because I’m bringing you the weather updates: it’s windy at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve but not raining. Yet. The start should be OK for just under an hour.
Pole to flag: all four races this season have been won by the pole-sitter (Russell first, Antonelli with the past three), though they’ve hardly been processions.
Good news for George … in theory. But that streak won’t last all season. Is today the day it changes? The weather could certainly add an element of chaos, especially as we don’t exactly know how these cars will behave in wet race conditions.
Updated
The grid in Montreal
How they will line up on the Île Notre-Dame. Start time is still 9pm BST (4pm local), weather permitting.
1) George Russell (Mercedes)
2) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
3) Lando Norris (McLaren)
4) Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
5) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
6) Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
7) Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
8) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
9) Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
10) Franco Colapinto (Alpine
11) Nico Hülkenberg (Audi)
12) Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
13) Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
14) Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
15) Carlos Sainz (Williams)
16) Oliver Bearman (Haas)
17) Esteban Ocon (Audi)
18) Alex Albon (Williams)
19) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
20) Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
21) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
22) Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
Weather update: it’s raining right now in Montreal, apparently. It may mean a delay in the race start or it could clear up and/or avoid the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. Any news on start times as we get it!
Updated
Preamble
Hold on, is that the sight of sparks flying in the Mercedes garage? Metaphorically, of course. George Russell and Kimi Antonelli have played the roles “the gent” and “tenacious teen” for the first four races of this F1 season. But with it becoming increasingly clear that it’s likely to be a straight shootout between the teammates for the drivers’ title, we’ve seen the first flash of friction between the pair in Montreal.
A clash during the sprint race when Antonelli attempted to overtake Russell left the Italian fuming and Toto Wolff had to intervene, telling him to “stop the radio moaning”. Russell held on for victory, Lando Norris splitting the Mercs, though it’s a Russell-Antonelli front row for today’s race after the Briton pipped his teammate by six-hundredths of a second in qualifying.
Antonelli, the championship leader by 18 points, has won the last three races of a stop-start season. But Russell likes this track – it’s his third pole in a row here. Plus there’s a 60% chance of rain and a chasing pack including Norris and Oscar Piastri in third and fourth, Lewis Hamilton starting fifth and Max Verstappen rounding off the top six. Intriguing!
The Canadian GP is due to start at 9pm BST – feel free to email in with your thoughts, hopes and dreams.
