George Russell and Max Verstappen posted the exact same lap time in the last session of qualifying yesterday, posting 1:12.000. Russell set the time first so he retained pole position.

The last time this happened in Formula 1 was at the European Grand Prix at Jerez in 1997, where Jacques Villeneuve, Michael Schumacher and Heinz-Harald Frentzen all posted the exact same time in qualifying.

The following day, Villeneuve beat Schumacher to the World Championship title.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Charles Leclerc won in Monaco a fortnight ago, but yesterday he struggled to get the grip in his tyres to earn a spot in Q3 in qualifying.

He starts down in 11th for today's grand prix and said: "It wasn't an easy day yesterday but today is quite unpredictable which gives us some opportunities to come back in the front and we will have to use this opportunity in the right way."

"If it's fully dry, the pace that we have shown till now hasn't been very strong, but now everything is possible. We will keep our head down and if we get on the podium that will be amazing.

"Realistically I think a top five is a good target to have on a track like this with the performance we've had until now, but a podium is my target today."

The drivers have assembled for the national anthem, which is being sung by a lad in a maple leaf trackie with his mate on the guitar. Interesting.

Oscar Piastri is holding a big umbrella like a distinguished gentleman, but it doesn't need to be open at the moment. What conditions the race going to start in is anybody's guess.

1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has been talking to Sky Sports about RB's Daniel Riccirardo about being heavily critical of his performances on Friday: "The pressure is on him. A lot of pressure on his shoulders and it worked out yesterday. He's had one good sprint race in Miami, one good qualifying, that's not enough in a full season, he needs more of that."

When asked if he's standing by the comments he made on Friday: "Definitely."

Image source, Getty Images

"Why is he still in F1? Why? We've been hearing the same thing now for the last four or five years; 'we have to make the car better for him, poor him.' Sorry, it's been five years of that. No. You're in F1."

Those were just some of the words of Jacques Villeneuve on Sky Sports on Friday, when the 1997 world champion gave his honest opinion about Daniel Ricciardo's time in Formula 1.

Ten years to the day since the Australian claimed his maiden victory in F1 at the Canadian Grand Prix in 2014, Ricciardo put his RB into the top five for today's race after a difficult start to the season.

“I’ve just been told [about the comments],” Ricciardo said after qualifying.

“I don’t listen or read but... yeah, there’s definitely some people out there who… whatever - I won’t give them the time of day.

"But yeah, top five, been quick all weekend, we’re less than two-tenths from pole so..."

I'll save what came after 'so' because it's before the watershed.

Can Ricciardo convert his P5 start into Sunday points? His highest finishing position so far has been 12th at both the Australian Grand Prix and Monaco a fortnight ago.

McLaren have not won points at the Canadian Grand Prix since 2014.

In 2014, Jenson Button finished fourth and Kevin Magnussen ninth for the team.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

McLarens Lando Norris will start in P3 today, he spoke to Sky Sports, and said: "Our target is to win today, we are in a good position, we've had a good car all weekend and for the last few races."

On the weather conditions, he added: "It's going to be completely different today to what it was on Friday so we will see. A lot of it is just reacting to what you've got at the time, but all of it is also the preparation and how to approach the whole thing from the offset.

"I've done my homework and the team have done their homework together, we are ready to go.

"I think I've done about three wet starts in my career so there's an opportunity, it's probably one of the best opportunities to go forward and gain some positions."

Image source, Getty Images

With the weather gods sending us a potential rainy race start, which driver is leading into Turn One today?

Hmmm. We only have two thumbs. So let's go up left thumb for George, right thumb for Max, and then just telepathically send me your thumb vote if you fancy Lando in P3 to jump them both.

Image source, Getty Images

Yuki Tsunoda has signed on the dotted line and will continue to drive for RB for a fifth season in 2025.

The announcement was made just before yesterday's qualifying session, with team principal Laurent Mekies saying he had been impressed by Tsunoda’s “simply phenomenal” progress this season.

"He keeps surprising us all, race after race,” Mekies said.

On his new contract, Tsunoda said: “It’s a good feeling to have my future decided so early in the year."

To toast his ongoing employment in Formula 1, Tsunoda, who starts in eighth, gets to share the fourth row of the grid with multiple world champion Lewis Hamilton.

Image source, Getty Images

George Russell will start on pole today and was feeling positive when he spoke to Sky Sports. He said: "I had a good sleep, I'm feeling good today. Nobody knows how this is going to pan out because of the weather, the sun is out but I think it's going to pour down in about an hour's time, and will probably dry up again."

On how the differing weather conditions impact the track, he added: "I think it was it Turn 10 in FP2 when it suddenly started raining and everyone went off there, but it depends where it hits from, you've just got to be really aware.

"When the sun is out the track dries in about 10 minutes so it's really quite impressive, but we don't know. The weather looks pretty nice right now but we are just going to be really adaptable."

The pit lane is open and the cars have been out on to the wet circuit for an installation lap and to check the latest conditions. Oscar Piastri is on intermediate tyres but the Australian's McLaren is sliding around as he struggles on the green rubber.

Image source, Getty Images

Sergio Perez entered the Canadian paddock with a spring in his step following the news he had signed a two-year contract extension to stay at Red Bull until the end of 2026.

By the end of Q1, however, the Mexican looked devastated sitting in the cockpit back in the garage after he was knocked out of qualifying at the first hurdle.

"It was a total disaster," said Perez, who highlighted an issue with the rear of his car. "I just couldn’t get the grip in.

"I think it was a very strange session for a lot of cars out there, and for us, I just couldn’t get the tyres to switch on. It was taking a while to really switch on the tyre, and that was a total disaster.”

Image source, Getty Images

While George Russell's side of the garage were celebrating, Lewis Hamilton was downcast at only qualifying in seventh place after a such a strong performance in the final practice session.

"The car was feeling great all weekend but as soon as I got to qualifying that kind of vanished for me," Hamilton told Sky Sports.

“The grip just disappeared from me, so FP3 I had plenty of pace in me and then get to qualifying and the tyres don't work, and nothing changed on the car."

Hamilton has tasted victory seven times in Montreal, a record he shares with fellow all-time great Michael Schumacher. But so far this season, his last with Mercedes before he starts a new chapter with Ferrari in 2025, the Briton hasn't finished in the top five, with his highest race position P6 in Miami and Imola last month.

Ian Fergusson
BBC weather forecaster

FIA forecasters have advised teams of a shower currently about 25km away arriving about 13:55 local, just before scheduled race start.

Therefore the forecast has been to changed to 80% risk at 14:00; 60% 15:00; 80% at 16:00 (local).

Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Canada was the first race in which both Mercedes cars have had the full upgrade package that has slowly built up on the car.

New bodywork in Miami, followed by a new floor in Imola and then finally a new front wing, which only Russell had in Monaco, have revised the aerodynamics of the car. And Mercedes' simulations say that they should perform even better at subsequent races.

It was the difference the front wing made in Monaco that really lit up Mercedes' expectations.

Until Monaco, the car has been balanced in either high-speed corners or slow, but not both. Get it right in the high-speed, and there was a lack of front grip in the slow; get it right in the slow, and there was untameable oversteer in the fast.

The front wing has transformed it, and made what is known as the "through-corner balance" much better.

Image source, Getty Images

After he had claimed his second F1 career pole position and Mercedes first in over a year, George Russell knew exactly what the crowd wanted.

The Silver Arrows have introduced a series of upgrades since the Miami Grand Prix last month and this weekend in Montreal, the eight-time constructors' champions have looked the fastest cars on track.

But Russell used also used another method to help him achieve his front-row spot at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

"This morning we were so quick," he said. "Lewis was driving so well and he was miles ahead of me and I had to look at his data to try and understand what that was.

"The tyres are so sensitive and Lewis was doing something a bit unique with the tyres and I implemented that in Q1 and straight away we were top of the timesheets."

Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Can you win it, George Russell was asked, after taking pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix? “Of course we can,” he replied. Russell’s pole, his first since Hungary nearly two years ago, has added another twist to this season that is developing a very different form in the last five races than in the first four.

From almost total domination by Max Verstappen and Red Bull, McLaren, then Ferrari and now Mercedes as well have come to the fore. It’s too early to say whether this Mercedes form will be repeated elsewhere, but for now that’s not important. Russell, with Verstappen alongside him on the front row, will be focused solely on converting it into a win and making Mercedes the fourth team to win this season.

“It's going to be a tough race for everybody, to be honest,” he said. “(Tyre) graining seems to be an issue. And this new track surface, nobody really knows how it's going to pan out. But we've got to go for victory.

"The car is genuinely really, really fast at the moment. But it's going to be a long race, I think. As soon as you fall off that cliff of the tyres, it's going to be really difficult to recover. So, yeah, it could be a bit of a strategic game. Maybe not as extreme as we saw in Monaco last week, but maybe something similar.”

Image source, F1

If we focus on the back of the grid first, Esteban Ocon was given a five-place grid penalty for causing the collision with Alpine team-mate Pierre Gasly in Monaco but the Frenchman doesn't actually have to from his P18 slot, now that the two Saubers are pit-lane starters.

Sergio Perez will have to fight his way through the field from P16 after he was knocked out in Q1 for the second consecutive race.

In the middle of the pack are the two Ferraris, who had a miserable Saturday following the high of that Monte Carlo victory. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will share the sixth row in 11th and 12th receptively.

The first two rows will be occupied by George Russell, Max Verstappen and the two McLarens, while Daniel Ricciardo used the motivational words of 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve to place his RB fifth on the grid.

Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent

Both Saubers will start the race from the pit lane for breaking parc ferme regulations because of a change of rear wing specification. In addition, Valtteri Bottas has exceeded his allowance of engine parts with a new electronics control unit and battery

Rosanna Tennant, Harry Benjamin, Alex Brundle and Andrew Benson reflect on yesterday's qualifying session.

The team discuss Mercedes’ pace, Red Bull’s struggles and where it all went wrong for Ferrari. Plus, hear from George Russell, Max Verstappen, and Lando Norris.

Have a listen here as we build up to the race