Montreal Speed Trap: Who is the fastest of them all?

Last year’s qualifying in Montreal was one for the books, with George Russell and Max Verstappen setting identical times. This year, the same pair went wheel-to-wheel in a thrilling shootout for pole, with Russell emerging on top.

Both Red Bull drivers – Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda – topped the speed trap numbers in Saturday’s qualifying at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, where power and straight-line speed are valuable assets.

This was justified given the RB21’s low drag, the lowest of all, with Haas at the opposite end of the spectrum.

Russell was just under 6km/h slower than Verstappen through the speed trap located at the end of the long stretch between Montreal’s hairpin and the final chicane.

But a purple sector 2 on his final flyer won the Briton his stunning pole by a 0.160s margin. The Mercedes’ behaviour through the medium-speed sector, with its sharp direction changes, was absolutely tremendous.

It’s worth noting that both drivers - contrary to their McLaren rivals - opted for the medium tyre in Q3.

Overall, looking at the numbers from each team’s long runs in free practice, the top three in qualifying – Mercedes, Red Bull and Mclaren – are all looking great for Sunday’s battle. Which brings us to the strategy corner.

Multiple Strategy Approaches

As highlighted by Pirelli, the expansion of the latter’s compound range this season is having the indirect effect of delivering a greater variety of approaches from the teams and drivers in terms of tyre usage over the weekend and this will be reflected in Sunday’s race.

“We think a two-stop is still the most plausible option, favouring the use of the Medium and Hard,” commented Pirelli motorsport boss Mario Isola

“The one-stop is theoretically possible, but unlikely to pay off, especially as overtaking is possible here.

• Canadian Grand Prix - Qualifying results

“The C6 could be a useful choice for the start, for example for those with two new sets of Hards available, who are planning a relatively short first stint or for anyone banking on an early appearance from the Safety Car.”

With four teams in the mix – let’s not forget Ferrari and Charles Leclerc – contrasting car strengths, and tyre strategies wide open, all the ingredients are in place for a classic Canadian Grand Prix.

Throw in Montreal’s ever-present threat of chaos and a likely Safety Car, and F1 fans are set for a battle royal that could go down to the wire.

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