Jolyon Palmer
Former Renault driver on BBC Radio 5 live

I love this race to drive, but I still love to watch it as it is one that can throw up a lot of thrills and spills.

When Lewis Hamilton won his first race here in 2007 there were four safety cars to deal with. The walls are close and that often leads to collisions. There is such a good dynamic with three teams starting in the top three places.

Max Verstappen knows the pressure is on and he needs to deliver. He has a bit of an advantage off the line but can he make it work? After that he will have to manage his tyres.

Image source, Rex Features

They're off on the formation lap.

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

Daniel Ricciardo says the early laps are key for Red Bull’s race - they need to make up some ground quickly, before the initial grip advantage of the hypersofts is overtaken by the durability of the ultrasofts on the Ferraris and Mercedes.

"The first few laps will dictate a lot of the race,” said the Australian, who starts sixth. “If we can really manage to go well in that first stint on the hypers. If we can pull it off, it sets us up later in the race. If there is an opportunity towards the beginning, we need to take it.

"Even if we have the first two laps with more grip, we need to try and use that because if we don’t we are just probably going to fall back.”

As he puts it: “It sets us up to be aggressive and attacking, and should hopefully make some good TV as well.”

Image source, Getty Images

Verstappen has been under pressure this week - having made errors at all six grands prix this season. But he's had a very good weekend so far - three practice wins and a fine drive to take third in qualifying. Will we see the best of him today? Red Bull start on the hypersofts, so expect a fast start from him and Daniel Ricciardo.

Image source, BBC Sport

BBC Radio 5 live

Max Verstappen, who starts third, tells BBC Radio 5 live: "It was a nice national anthem. It was really lovely."

On his chances today: "We have a good race car so it will be an interesting race."

Image source, BBC Sport

At the front of the grid, Sebastian Vettel secured Ferrari's first pole in Canada since Michael Schumacher in 2001. His qualifying time of 1:10.764 is a track record for the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Lewis Hamilton's fourth is his second-lowest starting position in 11 visits to Montreal - he was fifth for the mad, mad, mad race of 2011, when he retired after an early collision with Jenson Button.

The Canadian Grand Prix is minutes away. Let's walk you through the grid. Romain Grosjean - who has had a rotten weekend in what has been a rough season - failed to set a time in qualifying after a spectacular engine failure as he came out to start.

Fernando Alonso only just squeezed through Q1, overhauling Pierre Gasly on the final lap. Gasly, as it turns out, has been given a grid penalty anyway, for using his fourth engine of the season - breaking the limit of three.

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer in Montreal

All the predictions are that it’s a one-stop race, with a tough call between whether it’s faster to start on the hypersofts or the ultrasofts before switching to the supersofts.

How much will the drivers have to manage the tyres to keep them alive? That’s not known yet. If the degradation is high, some might switch to a two-stop, as has often been seen here, and that would certainly liven up the closing laps.

Image source, Getty Images

Jolyon Palmer
Former Renault driver on BBC Radio 5 live

Lewis Hamilton can do it. He is always so strong around this track, but, yes, it was a bit of a surprise that he could only end up fourth yesterday. He needs a good start and it is possible to overtake here so I would not rule out Lewis Hamilton.

Image source, Rex Features

Image source, Getty Images

Tricky Grand Prix to predict, this one - so we've decided to canvass the opinion of three groundhogs.

Left groundhog: "Vettel to win, for me. Ferrari got it together in qualifying, and I think they'll do the business."

Middle groundhog: "I'm going for Hamilton. He wasn't great on Saturday, but what do you expect when a bird flies into your brake duct?"

Right groundhog: "Sorry, I was watching Take Me Out on catch-up. I don't know - Villeneuve?"

The circuit falls silent as the crowd stands for the Canadian national anthem.

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer in Montreal

What do you do with a problem like McLaren? In Melbourne, at the start of the season, they were 0.7 seconds slower than Renault in second qualifying, which they did not go beyond.

Here in Canada, after a big development push, they were 0.9secs adrift. Not exactly many signs of progress there, despite racing director Eric Boullier’s insistence that he has “100% confidence” in the McLaren technical team.

Fernando Alonso starts his 300th grand prix - let’s not quibble about the statistics - from 14th on the grid, after enjoying a little ceremony put on by F1 with the other drivers before the drivers’ parade, following his closest battle with team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne this year.

He says he’s confident he’ll score points, but in a car which the team struggles for low-corner grip and therefore they are running with more wing than ideal here, it won’t be easy.

Image source, Rex Features

There's a lot of uncertainty about Fernando Alonso's long-term future in F1. He has not won a race since 2013 and since joining McLaren in 2015 he has been stranded in the midfield, unable to display his talent.

Alonso hasn't sounded happy with his lot this season, either. He has repeatedly criticised F1 for being too predictable, with the top three teams a second a lap clear of the rest.

Image source, Rex Features

ChrisH: Can't dispute Alonso's ability behind the wheel. But part of being a successful driver is diplomacy to be at the best team at the right time. There's a reason Ferrari and McLaren have spat him out, and Mercedes wouldn't touch him.

Alan Cohen: Normally I would say to be considered a 'great' in the motorsport world it would be based on the number of Championship titles you've won but when you can do it in a car that is not the quickest on the grid then special dispensation should be given.

B V B: Alonso is true great. Like Seb in the Toro Rosso, he has won a race or more in inferior machinery. This si why I cannot take Hamilton's stats seriously. Always won in the best car.

Slightly later than scheduled, because of the cricket overrunning, BBC Radio 5 live commentary on the Canadian Grand Prix build-up is under way. Alex Jacques, Jolyon Palmer and Jennie Gow are your experts, and if you're in the UK, you can listen now by refreshing your browser and clicking the icon at the top of the page.

We haven't talked a great deal about Max Verstappen so far, but there was an interesting exchange between Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and Sky Sports presenter Martin Brundle a few moments ago.

Brundle: Max can’t take too many risks intro the first corner, can he?

Horner: Why not?

Maybe we will see some fireworks from Verstappen before the weekend is out. He is third on the grid, remember...

Image source, Getty Images

Vettel sounds quietly optimistic there, but Hamilton certainly has his supporters. Bit too hot for a suit, if you ask me...

Image source, Getty Images

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer in Montreal

Sebastian Vettel is on his first pole position since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which he did not win, and his previous one to that was in China, which he also did not win.

The Ferrari driver is 14 points behind Lewis Hamilton in the championship and could do with converting this one into a win, or at the very least eating further into Hamilton’s lead.

“We got pole for a reason,” he said, “and I think we can carry that into the race. For myself and for the team, I think we start on the right tyre and then we see. Nevertheless, it’s a long race here, a lot of laps, a lot of things to look out for so we’ll see.

"In terms of race pace, as we’ve seen many times this year, it’s very close between the three teams and between the six drivers so we will see, but for sure if you start on pole you want to win.”

Image source, EPA

The Meme Man: Alonso isn't as good as he thinks he is. There, I said it.

James Doe‏: Alonso will not be considered one of the true greats of the sport due to driving in an era containing Schumacher, Hamilton and Vettel. They are all ahead of him, and all in the top 6 of all time. Alonso barely scratches the top 10, for me.

Sebastian Vettel starts as the favourite, purely because he is on pole. Of the 48 World Championship races held in Canada, 22 have been won by the pole-sitter - including the past three. Lewis Hamilton won from first place in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Image source, BBC Sport