Because Mercedes pole doesn’t make the race a foregone conclusion

‘High voltage’ circuit If we simply look at the final result of qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix we could easily say that it reflects the values ​​on the track and, consequently, that it was largely predictable, even predictable, but we wouldn’t be doing justice to a genuinely exciting and indecisive session until the last second. As we have repeatedly underlined in previous sessions, Formula 1 is finding an unexpected ally on the Canadian track from an engine point of view, with an electric recharge that is almost entirely completed in the many violent braking sessions on the circuit named after Gilles Villeneuve and which, therefore, is no longer the absolute protagonist, as seen in some of the first races. The result is that we return to talking about tires and temperatures, and driving details make the difference again. To tell the truth, there is even more: the morphology of the track, a textbook “stop & go”, does not have sections with large lateral loads, but maximizes the longitudinal stresses on the car. This makes it essential to optimize a mechanical set-up that controls the pitch of the vehicle body well, while still guaranteeing the necessary lateral softness to properly absorb the many potholes and high curbs present on the track. If we then add to this mix that in almost all extensions the active aerodynamics can be activated, opening the wings, we understand that in Montreal the mechanical structure even becomes preponderant compared to the aerodynamic one. The list of peculiarities is not yet finished, however, because to everything just described we must also add the increasingly cold environmental conditions, which, in the absence of lateral loads, prevent the tires from being quickly brought into the right window of use, with a significant influence also on the level of grip available to the riders. Mercedes still queen, but with many weapons blunt. From this mix of factors, however, Mercedes once again emerges as queen, monopolizing the front row also in the Grand Prix after having done so in the Sprint, and with, curiously, the same gap between the two drivers. However, the competition, already not that far away in the sprint qualifying, got even closer, with the top 8 riders within just 4 tenths. With these temperatures and this track morphology, Mercedes is unable to fully exploit the new package of updates (which worked better in the first free practice session also thanks to the milder temperatures) and must hold on to the engine and the drivers’ ideas to secure the top positions, in the hands of the competition until the last attempt in Q3. Antonelli appears, in fact, in great shape on this track, at least on par with Russell, if not better, but the Englishman pulled off an excellent performance right at the last moment, when it mattered most. Looking at the comparison data, what we see is that the two laps are largely comparable, except in the two direction changes of 6-7 and 8-9, where Russell makes the difference when entering the corner, thanks also to better climbing. Antonelli then manages to recover a few thousandths in the last part of the lap, and continues to be better than his teammate in the last S, but he is unable to put everything together perfectly, with an ideal time lower than 119 thousandths, against Russell who instead sets his ideal lap in the last lap, guaranteeing himself pole. Seeing what happened in the Sprint, there will probably be fun in the race even just with the two Mercedes standard bearers on the track. McLaren slow on the straight. Behind the two Mercedes, the two McLarens of Norris and Piastri occupy the entire second row, also separated by about half a tenth. The Woking single-seater continues to excel in traction, but suffers from a couple of less than ideal changes in direction, perhaps the result of a less than perfect front given the failure of the new wing, and expresses, practically every lap with both drivers, between 2 and 4 km/h of maximum speed deficit compared to the Mercedes itself. The impression is that the Woking engineers prefer greater delivery in the previous extensions, sacrificing a few tens of thousandths in the final extension. However, McLaren also appeared strong on pace and Norris and Piastri will certainly try to fit in between the two contenders who start in front of them, even if the lack of top speed could be a penalizing factor in terms of overtaking and close battles. Ferrari third force with only Hamilton As far as the Maranello team is concerned, Hamilton is currently carrying the team on his shoulders this weekend. The impression on the balance is excellent, but there is a lack of energy to spend in the central sector, and power in traction exiting the hairpin, as well as on the last push after the champions’ wall. In the corners the SF26 driven by the 7-time world champion is really excellent, and until entering the last chicane Hamilton had third position behind the Mercedes in his grasp, but a better pass in that stretch by Norris and Piastri ensured them to overtake Hamilton. The impression is that the latest mechanical changes implemented by the team to help Hamilton himself work particularly well, and that they allow Hamilton to quickly bring the tires up to temperature, and then make the most of them. Otherwise Leclerc is unable to warm up the tires and his session becomes a bit of an ordeal, although, as mentioned, he still ranks eighth, “only” 4 tenths behind Russell. It should be noted that Hamilton perhaps had the margin to fight for third place even on the last lap, which however began with the wing opening system not active and then ended with an error on the Englishman’s part, in an attempt to make up for the time lost initially.
The race promises to be truly interesting and unpredictable, with the addition of the uncertain weather which threatens rain very seriously. The premises are the best seen so far, we’ll see if the action on the track can at least maintain them.

Automobile Magazine – F1 English News , 2026-05-24 16:00:00