2024 Canadian Grand Prix

The 2024 Canadian Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 AWS Grand Prix du Canada 2024) was a Formula One motor race, which was held on 9 June 2024, at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was the ninth round of the 2024 Formula One World Championship. In a rain affected race, Max Verstappen won his sixtieth Grand Prix, ahead of Lando Norris and George Russell, who scored Mercedes' first Grand Prix podium finish of the season. After struggling in qualifying, Ferrari suffered their first double DNF since the 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Background
The event was held at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal for the 43rd time in the circuit's history, across the weekend of 7–9 June. The Grand Prix was the ninth round of the 2024 Formula One World Championship and the 53rd running of the Canadian Grand Prix as a round of the Formula One World Championship.

Championship standings before the race
Going into the weekend, Max Verstappen led the Drivers' Championship with 169 points, 31 points ahead of Charles Leclerc in second, and 56 ahead of Lando Norris in third. Red Bull Racing, with 276 points, led the Constructors' Championship from Ferrari and McLaren, who are second and third with 252 and 184 points, respectively.

Entrants
The drivers and teams were the same as the season entry list with no additional stand-in drivers for the race. Jack Doohan drove for Alpine in the first free practice session, taking the spot of Esteban Ocon.

Tyre choices
Tyre supplier Pirelli brought the C3, C4, and C5 tyre compounds (the softest three in their range) designated hard, medium, and soft, respectively, for teams to use at the event.

Penalties
Esteban Ocon of Alpine carried a five-place grid penalty for causing a collision with his teammate Pierre Gasly at the preceding Monaco Grand Prix.

Practice
Three free practice sessions were held for the event. The first free practice session was held on 7 June 2024, at 13:30 local time (UTC−4), and was topped by Lando Norris of McLaren ahead of Carlos Sainz Jr. of Ferrari and his teammate Charles Leclerc. The second free practice session was held on the same day, at 17:00 local time, and was topped by Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin ahead of George Russell of Mercedes and Alonso's teammate Lance Stroll. The third free practice session was held on 8 June 2024, at 12:30 local time, and was topped by Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes ahead of Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing and Hamilton's teammate Russell.

Qualifying
Qualifying was held on 8 June 2024, at 16:00 local time (UTC−4).

Qualifying report
George Russell set an identical time to Max Verstappen in Q3 but took pole position by virtue of setting his lap earlier, only the second time that pole position has been decided in such a way since Formula One adopted a three-decimal timing system after the 1997 European Grand Prix.

Qualifying classification
Notes
 * – George Russell and Max Verstappen set identical lap times in Q3. Russell got pole position as he set the time earlier.
 * – Valtteri Bottas qualified 17th, but was required to start the race from the pit lane as his car was modified during parc fermé conditions.
 * – Esteban Ocon received a five-place grid penalty for causing a collision with his teammate Pierre Gasly at the previous round.
 * – Zhou Guanyu qualified 20th, but was required to start the race from the pit lane as his car was modified during parc fermé conditions.

Race
The race was held on 9 June 2024, at 14:00 local time (UTC−4), and was run for 70 laps.

Race report
The Saubers changed their rear wings during parc fermé, relegating them to a pit lane start. The start was held under intermediate conditions, with Haas opting to start their drivers on the wet compound of tyres. While polesitter George Russell kept the lead on the start, Kevin Magnussen immediately benefited from the wet tyres, and he climbed up to as high as fourth while Nico Hülkenberg worked his way up to the points. Charles Leclerc, who had won the previous race at Monaco, suspected engine issues with his Ferrari SF-24, reducing his pace. He was stuck in the midfield for a majority of the race.

On lap eight, the conditions started to change; the rain was clearing up, so drivers switched to the intermediates. Magnussen lost time when his pit crew were not ready with intermediate tyres. Lando Norris passed Max Verstappen using DRS on lap 20, taking him into the lead. However, Logan Sargeant caused a safety car period by spinning out of the chicane at turns 3 and 4 and into retirement. Norris crossed the pit lane entry line too late to enter and change tyres, so other drivers, including Verstappen, gained a tyre advantage. Norris dropped to third behind Verstappen and Russell.

The safety car exited the track on lap 29 as Leclerc, already suffering from power unit issues, switched to hard tyres, dropping him to last place. Leclerc would soon retire from the race, with the power unit issues persisting. On the restart, Verstappen kept the lead ahead of Russell. Meanwhile, Alexander Albon overtook Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon into the final corner, but he encountered Carlos Sainz Jr. spinning on his way to turn 7. He failed to avoid the Ferrari and he and Sainz were both forced to retire. Ferrari failed to score points for the first time since the 2023 Australian Grand Prix. This was Ferrari's first retirement of the season, and their first double retirement since the 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Sergio Pérez, who was knocked out in Q1 for the second consecutive race weekend in a row, failed to finish once again after he spun into the wall at turn six, hitting the rear wing of his RB20 and destroying it. His team advised him to limp back to the pits to retire, as leaving the car on the track would risk a safety car. However, the Albon-Sainz incident brought out the second and final safety car period.

The safety car period allowed drivers to change their tyres again. These drivers included Russell and teammate Lewis Hamilton, who went wheel-to-wheel with Russell winning out. Russell also battled Oscar Piastri, with the latter keeping his car on the track as Russell was forced off the track in an incident that was ultimately deemed by stewards as a racing incident. Yuki Tsunoda lost control of his RB and spun across the track, leaving him in a dangerous position on track that he was barely able to escape. This dropped Tsunoda out of the points. Verstappen crossed the line to win the race, his sixtieth career win, ahead of Norris and Russell. Russell's third-place finish was Mercedes' first podium of the season, and his teammate Hamilton scored the fastest lap in fourth.

Pérez received a three-place grid drop for the following Spanish Grand Prix. Under advice from the team, as they wanted to avoid a safety car situation, he limped back to the pits in an unsafe condition – his rear wing had already been destroyed, scattering debris on track. Red Bull received a €25,000 penalty for the incident.

Race classification
Notes
 * – Includes one point for fastest lap.

Championship standings after the race

 * Drivers' Championship standings


 * Constructors' Championship standings


 * Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.