Qualifying for the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix could be among the most uncertain of 2025. Ferrari is one of the main contenders on Saturday in Montreal, at least on paper: Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished this morning’s final free practice session in second and fourth place respectively, showing a competitive SF-25 over a single lap at the Gilles Villeneuve circuit, a rarity in this 2025 Formula 1 season, Monte Carlo aside.
The Monegasque driver effectively only participated in this morning’s session after yesterday’s crash in FP1, also trying some race pace runs with times that were very, very interesting, obviously discounting fuel loads and other variables. The novelty this weekend is the apparent competitiveness of the car over a qualifying lap, though it still has to contend with the usual McLaren MCL39 cars and a George Russell who seems truly comfortable this weekend.
Now let’s take a detailed look at how events unfolded for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in the qualifying session for the Canadian Grand Prix:
The two Ferrari drivers settle into their respective cars with focused expressions, aware that they might have more to fight for today than in recent races. When the lights go green, both power units are fired up with a few minutes’ delay. Final system checks are completed, and the green light is given to start Q1. Everything is ready for the first time attack.
For the first qualifying attempt, both SF-25 cars are fitted with new Soft tyres. Great attention is paid during the warm-up phase to correctly activate the compound. Lewis Hamilton immediately misses the braking point at Turn 1, forced to slow down due to excessively low temperatures on the front tyres. His Maranello teammate also experiences the same issue but chooses to complete the flying lap anyway.
It is clear that the tyres were not yet within the optimal operating window. On the following lap, the Briton tries again but makes a mistake at the Turn 8-9 chicane, missing the apex. The feeling compared to FP3 is not the same, a sign that either track conditions or tyre management is affecting the car. The SF-25 shows signs of understeer, likely linked to the difficulty of getting the tyres to work properly.
On the third lap, grip improves for both Ferrari drivers, repeating what was observed in FP3. It will be crucial for Ferrari to understand how to maximise tyre potential, or else the rest of qualifying could become problematic. Bryan Bozzi provides Charles Leclerc with a detailed analysis of the lap, focusing on critical areas.
The chicane between Turns 6 and 7 remains a tricky section, with the setup still not providing full balance in that part. Caution: red flag due to the engine cover explosion on Alex Albon’s Williams, with just over five minutes left in Q1. Lewis Hamilton race engineer Riccardo Adami advises the Briton to focus more on the exit of Turn 8 to gain speed on the straight before the hairpin.
Both drivers encounter traffic upon returning to the track, but Charles Leclerc handles it more calmly. The Monegasque appears more precise, while his teammate makes some mistakes. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion is third, ahead of his teammate. Eliminated in Q1 are Gabriel Bortoleto, Carlos Sainz, Lance Stroll, Liam Lawson, and Pierre Gasly. In the opening phase of qualifying, Aston Martin adopts the same strategy seen at Imola, fitting Medium tyres. The choice proves effective, especially with Alonso, who sets very competitive times. It’s not out of the question that Ferrari might also consider this compound. Meanwhile, the track is quickly active again and the Ferrari cars head out once more on C6 Pirellis, but this time already used.
The times of the Red cars are still interesting, considering the tyres already have 14 laps on them. The two Ferrari cars place immediately behind the McLarens, but what surprises is Max Verstappen, who goes fastest using Mediums. While Charles Leclerc pits to fit a fresh set of Softs, Hamilton stays out and attempts another lap.
The Monegasque returns to action and activates push mode, delivering an exceptional lap that puts him at the top of the standings. After that attack, he moves into a cool-down phase just as Lewis Hamilton comes into the pits for a brief stop. Shortly after, the Brit also returns to the track with a new set of C6s: Ferrari is trying to understand how to use these tyres.
The final part of Q3 promises to be tricky, with very few valid opportunities to set a competitive time. Charles Leclerc seemed on pace for a good lap, but a mistake forces him to lift off. Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, runs into traffic from Alex Albon and postpones his attempt. Ferrari’s pit wall immediately calls him back in, deeming his previous time sufficient to move on to the next phase. Eliminated: Yuki Tsunoda, Franco Colapinto, Nico Hulkenberg, Oliver Bearman, and Esteban Ocon.
Lewis Hamilton is the first to leave the garage, followed shortly by his teammate. Both carefully manage the warm-up phase, particularly for the front axle. The Briton makes a mistake after Turn 1 and lifts off, while Charles Leclerc, despite also making an error, decides to continue anyway.
The first lap from car #16 doesn’t live up to expectations, but the Monegasque driver decides to stay out and attempt another lap without pitting. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton completes a decent attempt but remains nearly six tenths off the top. Leclerc improves by a tenth, but overall, the first run is disappointing. Once again, the difficulty in getting the tyres into the right temperature window on the first attempt becomes evident.
After a short stop, both drivers return to the track for a final shot. Lewis Hamilton begins the sequence but, as usual, has to correct his line out of Turn 1, immediately losing time. The rest of the lap is more solid, though not perfect, and he temporarily climbs to fourth place. Then comes Charles Leclerc’s turn, and unfortunately, things fall apart.
The Monegasque’s lap starts with good potential, handling the first critical section well. But at Turn 6, he enters too quickly, completely missing the racing line. In trying to recover on exit, he loses grip and the rear steps out. Charles Leclerc vents over the radio, complaining about the behaviour of a Red Bull that, however, doesn’t appear to have actually blocked him. Once again, Ferrari stumbles on the tyre issue: a recurring aspect that unfortunately repeats itself precisely at key moments.
— see video above —
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