George Russell claimed pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix Sprint beating championship-leading Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli by just under seven hundredths of a second as the Silver Arrows pair led a two-by-two order ahead of McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull Racing.
Russell forged ahead at the start of Q3, setting the pace after the opening runs before improving again on his final attempt. His 1m12.965s on Pirelli’s Soft tyres proved just enough to hold off Antonelli, who was the last driver to complete a lap. The Italian produced the fastest final sector of the session but crossed the line 0.068s short of pole.
Mercedes’ one-two result came in the first competitive running since the team introduced a major upgrade package for the W17. McLaren secured the second row, with Lando Norris third and Oscar Piastri fourth. Despite bringing further updates to Canada, the team could not match Mercedes’ pace in the top-10 shootout, finishing around three tenths adrift of Russell’s benchmark.
Ferrari followed in fifth and sixth, Lewis Hamilton narrowly beating Charles Leclerc. Red Bull Racing endured a trickier session, with Max Verstappen only seventh and Isack Hadjar eighth, both drivers appearing short of grip on Montreal’s bumpy surface.
The opening phase of Sprint Qualifying was disrupted by Fernando Alonso’s crash at Turn 3. Hamilton had set an early marker with a 1m15.459s, before Leclerc, Russell, Verstappen and Antonelli each took turns near the top of the order. Hamilton later improved to a 1m13.889s, but the session was halted when Alonso locked up and hit the barrier head-on.
After a 19-minute delay for barrier repairs, the session resumed with just 1m46s remaining. Several drivers attempted to get back out, but only Carlos Sainz, Lance Stroll and Hamilton reached the line in time, and none improved. Sergio Perez, Stroll, Pierre Gasly and Valtteri Bottas were eliminated, along with Alex Albon and Liam Lawson, who did not take part because of earlier issues. Alonso also played no further part after his accident.
SQ2 saw Russell begin to take control. Norris opened with a 1m13.957s, before Hamilton moved three tenths clear. Russell then posted a 1m13.466s, narrowly ahead of Antonelli, and later responded to Hamilton’s brief improvement with a decisive 1m13.026s.
Verstappen progressed, but only in ninth, having struggled to find comfort in the Red Bull. Sainz secured the final SQ3 place with a late lap, eliminating Nico Hulkenberg, Gabriel Bortoleto, Franco Colapinto, Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman.
Russell completed the job in SQ3, securing Sprint pole and giving himself the ideal platform to rebuild momentum in the championship fight.
2026 FIA Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix – Sprint Qualifying
1 George Russell Mercedes 1:12.965 – –
2 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:13.033 0.068 0.093
3 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:13.280 0.315 0.432
4 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:13.299 0.334 0.458
5 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:13.326 0.361 0.495
6 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:13.410 0.445 0.610
7 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:13.504 0.539 0.739
8 Isack Hadjar Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:13.605 0.640 0.877
9 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:13.737 0.772 1.058
10 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:14.536 1.571 2.153
11 Nico Hulkenberg Audi 1:14.595 1.630 2.234
12 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1:14.627 1.662 2.278
13 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Mercedes 1:14.702 1.737 2.381
14 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1:14.928 1.963 2.690
15 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:15.305 2.340 3.207
16 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Honda – – –
17 Sergio Perez Cadillac/Ferrari 1:16.002 3.037 4.162
18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Honda 1:16.354 3.389 4.645
19 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Mercedes 1:16.642 3.677 5.039
20 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac/Ferrari 1:16.866 3.901 5.346
21 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes – – –
22 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford – –