Live Commentary: Canadian Grand Prix qualifying - as it happened

Evening all! Following last month's Monaco Grand Prix, F1 is now over the pond in Montreal, Canada for one of my favourite races on the calendar.

It's race seven of the 2013 season and very different to the streets of Monte Carlo two weeks ago.

The Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve is 4.361 km long and encourages overtakes with long straights.

REMINDER: Just in case you've forgotten how F1 qualifying works or you're new to the sport, here's a quick rundown:

All 22 cars take part in a 20-minute 'Q1' session. The six slowest cars after this period are eliminated and start the race from their position between 17-22.

Next is a 15-minute 'Q2' session where the remaining 16 cars battle for a place in the final top 10 shootout. As before, the cars that finish in positions 11-16 start the race from those spots.

Finally, the 10-minute pole position shootout where the 10 quickest cars from Q2 fight it out for the final positions on the grid.

The Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve is perhaps most famous for the exit on the final corner. As you come out of the final turn there's no run-off area, just a wall that has become know as the 'wall of champions' as many greats have crashed into it.

WEATHER WATCH! We could have a very interesting quali session on our hands as it's pretty glum in Montreal and the chance of rain is high.

In the three practice sessions so far this week we've had three different men on top. Paul Di Resta of Force India was quickest in P1, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso in P2 and Mark Webber of Red Bull in P3 earlier today.

Read the reports from those three practice sessions by clicking here.

PREDICTION! With 10 minutes until qualifying begins, it's time for my thoughts on the upcoming hour. I'm going to plump for a Hamilton pole position. Vettel and Alonso behind.

The drizzle is falling in Montreal and this is going to make for a very interesting quali. When the weather is changeable often it comes down to luck than strategy or skill. Will we surprise at the front?

Before we begin, we have to mention the tyre row that has engulfed the sport of late. At the moment we're waiting for an international tribunal to determine whether Mercedes were wrong to test out Pirelli's new tyres during the season. The likes of Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren aren't happy with their Silver Arrow counterparts, that's for sure.

The radar picture says that there should only be the odd drop of rain and that it should stop soon.

However, if the teams decide to wait and wait there is a chance that they could get caught out if it doesn't subside and actually gets worse. Here we go...

GREEN LIGHT! We're underway in Montreal and most of the cars are heading out. They're on the red-marked super softs so it can't be too wet out there.

First man to slide off the track is Lotus's Raikkonen and he's shortly followed by Marussia's Chilton. Everyone is being very tentative on their out lap.

And all the cars come straight in as it's too damp for the dry tyres so they're going to have to change to intermediates.

The drivers will have much more confidence now but their times won't be as impressive now that they've had to change rubber. Will anybody be bold enough to switch back to slick tyres if it dries out?

Vergne of Toro Rosso is the first man over the line with a 1:28.204 but he's pipped by Massa moments later as the Brazilian goes two-tenths quicker.

Here come the Mercedes! Hamilton and then teammate Rosberg go to the top of the standings as plenty of cars slip and slide around.

The Silver Arrows are shoved down to third and fourth as the Red Bulls of Vettel and Webber go fastest.

The cool temperatures aren't providing the grip that many drivers are expecting as Vettel goes a whole second quicker than Hamilton at the top.

Parts of the track are drying up quickly and that's giving the drivers confidence but that's then wiped out by the slipperier sections, especially the second corner.

We always expect the Caterhams and Marussias to exit at this first stage but there's two other elimination spots to be filled in Q1. At the moment the two others are Lotus's Grosjean and Vergne of Toro Rosso.

It's Hamilton and Rosberg at the front again. The former is just three-hundredths quicker than the German with a 1:23.801. Meanwhile, McLaren's Button is in the danger zone with four minutes left.

Button moves himself up to fifth, seven-tenths off the pace of Webber at the front. It's now Bottas in danger of exiting.

Whoa! Bottas gets himself out of the bottom sixby going second behind Alonso! The times are tumbling as we enter the final two minutes of this first session.

Vettel again with a stunning time nine-tenths quicker than anyone else. We're in for a frantic finish to Q1.

As the clock hits zero there's still plenty of cars out on track trying to get themselves through.

DI RESTA IS THE SHOCK EXIT IN Q1! Grosjean out as well.

Di Resta will be devastated. The Scot had said that they had a chance of a podium but that's ever so unlikely now. Read his words here.

Grosjean's weekend isn't made any better as he finishes 19th-quickest. He'll be starting from the back of the grid as he has a 10-place penalty for causing a crash in Monaco.

OUT! Here are the six drivers, in the order that they will start tomorrow's race, who have been knocked out: 17 Di Resta 18 Pic 19 Bianchi 20 Chilton 21 Van der Garde 22 Grosjean

Sky Sports F1's Simon Lazenby tries to grab an interview with Di Resta but he's too angry to talk. Teammate Sutil was 12th.

GREEN LIGHT! Q2 is underway! Fifteen more minutes of pace-setting. It's still drizzly out there so intermediates are still needed.

At the front of Q1 it was a pair of Red Bulls followed by the two Ferraris and then the two McLarens.

The dry line that had been burnt into the track is no longer there as the rain continues to fall. It's not wet enough for the full-wet tyres but the drivers are going to have to be much more cautious on these laps.

Early on it's Hamilton at the top with a 1:29.259. Vettel's fastest time in Q1 was in the 1:22s. That's a seven-second loss in just a few minutes!

Incredible. The three cars of Hamilton, Sutil and Button all bump their way out of the run-off area on the last corner. There's no grip there at all.

The run-off area at that final corner has a 'sleeping policeman' bump that many cars are trundling over at the moment. To avoid it you have to drive alongside and then squeeze out just in front of a barrier. Vettel is now the fastest man with a 1:28.825. Massa, Button and Perez the big names in danger of being knocked out at the moment.

Vettel is by far the quickest man out there at the moment as he takes another six-tenths out of his time to go over a second quicker than Hamilton.

CRASH! It's Massa again! He's in the wall and the session is red-flagged.

That means that the session is temporarily suspended with 1:59 on the clock. Massa's crash wasn't too bad as he slid into the tyre wall side-on and beat the steering wheel in anger.

With the clock at 1:59, the drivers should have time to make it round and then start one last 'hot' lap before this session ends.

At the moment it's the two Red Bulls at the front with a surprise name in third - Williams's Bottas.

The cars are piling up into a queue at the end of the pit lane. Remember, they have 1:59 to get around the track and start the flying lap. Sutil is told that it hasn't rained since and that track position and tyre temperature is the key.

This is great. The remaining cars are lining up just waiting to be released.

BACK UNDERWAY! Gutierrez is the first man out as the cars jockey for position.

The six who are currently in danger of exiting are Maldonado, Button, Ricciardo, Gutierrez and Sutil. Massa was 15th when he crashed so he'll be starting near the back whatever happens now.

The clock expires and Button didn't get it right as he crossed the line just a couple of second after the chequered flag came down. The two Red Bulls didn't make it either but they should be fine as they're at the top anyway.

Hamilton shoots to the top as Sutil puts in a good lap to get into the top 10. Both McLarens out as Perez finishes 12th.

We've just seen a replay of Button approaching the start-finish line. The lights were green and it looked like he would have a chance to set a time but just as he got there they went red and he'll start the race in 14th.

OUT! 11 Hulkenburg 12 Perez 13 Maldonado 14 Button 15 Gutierrez 16 Massa

Q3 will start at 6.57pm - just two minutes from now. There's a few surprise names in the top 10 with the likes of Bottas, Vergne and Ricciardo.

The 10 drivers who will contest for pole are Hamilton, Webber, Vettel, Bottas, Rosberg, Vergne, Raikkonen, Alonso, Sutil and Ricciardo.

(I still fancy Hamilton).

GREEN LIGHT! Q3 is underway. Just 10 minutes until we know who is on pole tomorrow.

Mercedes are on a run of five straight pole positions while Mr Vettel has had top spot in Montreal the last two years. Something's gotta give.

Vettel is the first man to set a time with a 1:25.425. Raikkonen is a long way off at two seconds slower while Rosberg is six-tenths behind Vettel. Hamilton under a tenth off the German.

Webber's been on the grass already as Raikkonen has to cut the corner. There's dark clouds above and the track conditions are not improving. Will that early time of Vettel not be beaten?

BOTTAS continues his hugely impressive afternoon as he goes third.

The rain is coming down heavier and heavier and it's looking increasingly likely that Vettel will start on pole from Hamilton and Bottas.

Raikkonen hasn't been having fun in Q3. His car is wobbling all over the place. The Finn is currently down in eighth.

VETTEL was going for a new fastest time but all the drivers are losing so much time in the final sector. That's where the rain is heaviest.

There's going to be time for one last lap as Hamilton sets fast times in the first two sectors. Can he do it on the final chicane?

It's a hat-trick for the German in Montreal as he wraps up a third-straight pole in Canada. Hamilton might have pipped him but he took a gamble on the final turn and simply didn't have the grip.

You have to say a huge well done to Bottas for that third-place drive. Final top 10 coming up...

TOP 10: 1 Vettel 2 Hamilton 3 Bottas 4 Rosberg 5 Webber 6 Alonso 7 Vergne 8 Raikkonen 9 Ricciardo 10 Sutil

Bottas has a big grin on his face as the top three pose for photos. Vettel raises his finger in trademark fashion while Hamilton is clearly annoyed that he couldn't knock the German off his perch.

That's all from me this evening. Make sure you come back tomorrow for commentary on the race. Lights out is 7pm and we'll be here from 6.30pm for build-up. See you then.