George Russell is second in the drivers’ championship, 20 points behind Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli
George Russell rebounded from recent struggles to outpace Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli and secure sprint pole position at the Canadian Grand Prix.
The British driver, trailing the Italian by 20 points after four races this season, edged Antonelli by a mere 0.068 seconds, having set the pace in both final qualifying runs.
Lando Norris led a McLaren second-row lockout, finishing 0.315 seconds off pole and 0.019 seconds ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri.
Ferrari and Red Bull filled out the top eight in pairs, with Lewis Hamilton leading Charles Leclerc, followed by Max Verstappen ahead of Isack Hadjar.
Russell arrived in Montreal determined to reverse what he described as a “turbulent” start to the season, during which Antonelli has claimed victory in three of the four grands prix contested thus far, and he has initiated the weekend on a positive note.
“It feels great after a tough Miami but I never doubted myself,” said Russell. “I always knew what I could do. This is an amazing circuit, high grip, and feels like you’re driving a proper grand prix car.”
Mercedes introduced a significant upgrade to their car for this race, which Russell confirmed had made a tangible difference.
“It’s definitely feeling great,” he said. “The team have done a great job to bring this forward. Pleased to have it on the car and pleased to be back in P1. It’s been a little while but still a big focus for tomorrow.”
Antonelli acknowledged that he commenced his lap with his tyres below optimal temperature and characterized his session as “messy.”
McLaren also implemented an upgrade in Montreal, their second in as many races, yet despite keeping them within striking distance of Mercedes, it proved insufficient to offset the impact of the Mercedes on this particular track, where the reigning champions have frequently encountered challenges.
Norris remarked: “A good surprise. After this morning, we were a little bit worried about how far off we were. More just the lack of confidence in the car.
“But we changed some things on the car and seemed to make a good improvement. I could have got more out of it, but not enough to close the gap to the guys ahead.”
Hamilton trailed pole by 0.361 seconds and led Leclerc by 0.084 seconds at a circuit where he shares the record for the most wins with Michael Schumacher.
The seven-time champion expressed satisfaction with his performance, noting that his decision to forego the Ferrari simulator prior to this race, due to a belief that it was leading to suboptimal setup choices, had proven beneficial.
“Probably the best qualifying session we’ve had for some time,” said Hamilton. “Great work with the engineers.
“The car felt really fantastic from P1. We made just subtle changes going into qualifying. Q1 and Q2 was looking good and then I don’t know what the others are able to turn up a bit more, but I am just happy to be in the fight.
“I was having so much fun out there, and the fact I didn’t do the sim and it was the best I felt all year. I chose a set-up we’ve not used before and its transformed the car for me.”
Verstappen, grappling with a car he reported was “jumping” at the rear, was only 0.101 seconds ahead of teammate Hadjar.
“My feeling in the car was not very good,” said Verstappen. “I was struggling a lot with the ride. All over the bumps I couldn’t put my foot down. Actually my feet were even flying off the pedals and it made it very difficult to be consistent.”
Antonelli quickest in Canada practice as Albon collides with groundhog
How to follow Canadian Grand Prix on the BBC
British rookie Arvid Lindblad, piloting an upgraded Racing Bulls car, secured ninth position, ahead of Williams driver Carlos Sainz.
Neither of their teammates, Liam Lawson and Alex Albon, participated in qualifying due to their teams’ inability to repair their cars in time following issues encountered during practice.
Lawson suffered a hydraulic failure, while Albon crashed after colliding with a groundhog.
Beyond the top 10, Fernando Alonso’s performance stood out, as he managed to get an Aston Martin through the first qualifying segment for the first time this season, despite crashing on his final attempt.
The veteran Spaniard clocked the 14th fastest time, having circulated just outside the top 10 during the initial part of the session, before locking a front wheel at Turn Three and sliding into the barriers.
Alonso will commence the race from 16th position, having been unable to partake in the second session as his car remained stranded on the circuit.
Aston Martin has not implemented any upgrades to their car for this race and attributed the improved performance to Alonso himself. Teammate Lance Stroll trailed by 0.594 seconds in 18th place.
“I locked up the fronts and you are a passenger after that,” he said. “There is no room to avoid anything here in Canada. So, too much on the limit.
“We are a little bit behind and we don’t have the pace. We are P14, I guess, so we were pushing seven or eight places ahead of what we should have.”
The session was halted with just under one minute and 50 seconds remaining following Alonso’s crash. Although it was subsequently restarted after a prolonged delay for barrier repairs, only two drivers, Sainz and Stroll, managed to complete a lap, and neither improved their times.
Canadian GP Preview: Will Antonelli & Russell Do Battle?
Verstappen 24hr hopes ended by driveshaft after leading
What is the format for F1 sprint races in 2026?