MONTREAL — George Russell has sealed pole position in Sprint Qualifying at the Canadian Grand Prix, the Mercedes driver leading a 1-2 from teammate Kimi Antonelli while McLaren’s Lando Norris was their closest challenger in third.
After setting the pace in SQ2, Russell carried that form into the final segment by going fastest on his opening lap before improving further during the final runs, pumping in a time of one minute and 12.965 seconds. This ultimately proved unbeatable for the competition, with Antonelli 0.068s behind in second.
“It obviously feels great after a tough Miami but I never doubted myself – I knew what I could do” Russell said. “Miami was obviously a bit unique. This is an amazing circuit here – high-grip, feels like you’re driving a proper Formula 1 car around here which is how it should be. I’m glad today came together.”
Norris was three tenths adrift in third, ahead of the other McLaren of Oscar Piastri in fourth. Next up were the Ferrari pair of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, the former having looked quick at various points in Sprint Qualifying.
Max Verstappen could manage no higher than seventh in the Red Bull, followed by teammate Isack Hadjar in eighth, while Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad and the Williams of Carlos Sainz completed the order.
