Verstappen clinches pole position as Alonso secures P2 in Canada

Max Verstappen will start the Canadian Grand Prix from the front of the pack after claiming pole position in Saturday's qualifying.

Verstappen and Carlos Sainz traded laps times during the first runs of Q1, with both of their teammates missing from the final shootout; Sergio Perez crashed out of Q2, while Charles Leclerc also exited that session after taking a grid penalty which will see him start from the back of the field.

However, it was Verstappen who won out, setting a time of 1:21.299.

Fernando Alonso will line up alongside him in P2, continuing his form after topping the timesheets in Free Practice 3. Sainz secured third, and Lewis Hamilton took fourth place.

Kevin Magnussen clinched fifth, with Haas teammate Mick Schumacher in sixth and Esteban Ocon seventh.

With everybody running Intermediate tyres, George Russell took a gamble on slick tyres, bolting on a set of the Soft compound. The plan didn't quite work out, with the Briton sliding off track, and he ended the day in eighth.

Daniel Ricciardo and Zhou Guanyu – who reached Q3 for the first time in F1 – complete the top 10.

Shock exit for Perez brings out red flag in Q2

Q2 had started with several drivers switching to the Intermediate compound following the Wet tyre running in Q1.

With 10 minutes still on the clock, Alex Albon found himself in the barriers at Turn 6, but was able to reverse back out on track.

Just moments later, Perez brought out another yellow flag when he went straight into a wall at Turns 3 and 4. This was then escalated to a red flag, and the Mexican was unable to reverse back onto the circuit, putting him out of the session.

There followed a pause while the barrier was repaired, and running got underway again with nine minutes to go.

The times came in thick and fast when the session resumed, though there was no sign of Lando Norris, who had reported issues with his engine during the red flag period. While the McLaren man eventually returned to the circuit, he then made his way back to the pits, ending his qualifying.

Schumacher impressed by getting comfortably into the top 10, ending Q2 in sixth, and Haas teammate Magnussen also made it through.

Valtteri Bottas and Alex Albon found themselves eliminated in P11 and P12 respectively, while Perez was P13 and Norris P14.

Leclerc did not put any laps in during Q2, with the Ferrari driver set to start the race from the back of the grid due to engine penalties, meaning that those who qualified behind him in P15 will be promoted a place.

Disappointment for Aston Martin in Q1

Most cars made an early appearance on track as Q1 got underway, with all running the Wet tyres. Hamilton's engineer spoke about the plan to get a time on the board early, given the risk of a yellow or red flag in the damp and cold conditions.

The drivers were faced with some visibility issues due to the amount of spray, and Hamilton was amongst those to report this. Some also had their times deleted as they put their first laps in.

As had been the case in the rain-affected Free Practice 3, there were plenty of changes and mixed-up orders on the timesheets while a dry racing line began to emerge.

There were still some trips off circuit, though. Norris went wide at Turn 1, and Ocon had a moment at Turn 3.

In the final minutes of the session, Sainz briefly brought out the yellow flags after going straight on at Turn 3, but no harm done for the Spaniard.

The last moments were more disappointing for some, especially Aston Martin. Despite looking impressive in the previous practice sessions, neither Sebastian Vettel nor Lance Stroll got through Q1, and the pair qualified P17 and P18 respectively.

Also eliminated were Pierre Gasly (P16), Nicholas Latifi (P19) and Yuki Tsunoda (P20), who was already set to start from the back row due to an engine penalty.