George Russell charged to pole place for the third consecutive 12 months on the Canadian Grand Prix as Mercedes completed one-two in qualifying Saturday.
Russell, who made a pit cease earlier within the session, clocked one minute 12.578s seconds on his closing lap round Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. He edged teammate and Components One factors chief Kimi Antonelli by 0.068 seconds — the very same hole between the 2 drivers in dash qualifying.
Reigning F1 champion Lando Norris of McLaren (1:13.503) rounded out the highest three on an overcast, 22 C day.
Russell received the Canadian GP from the pole final 12 months after falling from first to 3rd in 2024. The pole place continues a stellar weekend for the 28-year-old Brit.
Earlier on Saturday, he made contact with Antonelli however prevented catastrophe to win a dramatic dash race and shave factors off Antonelli’s championship lead.
Russell fended off a pair of assaults from Antonelli on the sixth of twenty third laps because the drivers went wheel-to-wheel on Flip 1, forcing the 19-year-old Italian into the grass.
“That was very naughty,” a livid Antonelli mentioned in considered one of a number of complaints as feelings boiled over on the group radio.
Antonelli leads second-place Russell by 18 factors after successful the previous three Grand Prix races, placing stress on his extra skilled teammate to take again the momentum this weekend.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri will begin Sunday’s race in fourth, adopted by Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton in fifth and Purple Bull’s Max Verstappen in sixth. Purple Bull’s Isack Hadjar, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto rounded out the highest 10.
Montreal’s Lance Stroll, the lone Canadian on the 22-driver grid, will begin in twenty first. The 27-year-old Stroll remains to be looking for his first factors amid a dismal season for Aston Martin.
The Canadian Grand Prix is the fifth of twenty-two stops on the F1 calendar after the Iran struggle compelled cancellations in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in April.
The climate forecast for Sunday requires an opportunity of rain, which means drivers may take to a moist observe for the primary time this season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first printed Might 23, 2026.
Add CityNews Montreal as a trusted supply on Google to see extra native tales from us.
