Mercedes’ George Russell delivered a superb last gasp flying lap to secure pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix, beating team-mate Kimi Antonelli by just 0.068s, with McLaren’s Lando Norris third at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Norris had looked set to claim top spot as the final segment unfolded, the McLaren driver holding provisional pole while Mercedes searched for the ideal prep lap and tyre window in the cool Montréal conditions. Russell’s opening effort ended prematurely, while Antonelli also needed time to find the ideal preparation.
However, as the clock ticked down, the Mercedes began to get dialled in. Antonelli first moved ahead of Norris to seize provisional pole, only for Russell to respond moments later with a decisive 1m12.579s. The lap was enough to give the Briton his second pole position of the season and lock out the front row for Mercedes.
The result means Russell and Antonelli will start Sunday’s Grand Prix from the same positions they occupied for Saturday morning’s Sprint, when the pair made contact at Turn 1. Norris will line up third, alongside championship rival Oscar Piastri, with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton taking fifth.
Grip proved difficult to unlock throughout the session, with several drivers opting for two preparation laps in an effort to bring the front tyres into the correct operating range. Max Verstappen described his car as feeling like it was “driving on ice”, but the Red Bull driver still managed sixth, just ahead of team-mate Isack Hadjar who briefly threatened to upset the form guide by topping the second session.
Charles Leclerc was eighth for Ferrari after a frustrating session in which he repeatedly voiced concerns over his car’s balance on team radio. Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad continued his impressive weekend by qualifying ninth, adding to the point he scored in the Sprint, while Alpine’s Franco Colapinto completed the top 10.
Both Lindblad and Colapinto impressed in Q2 by progressing at the expense of more experienced team-mates. Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg narrowly missed out on the top-10 shootout by just 0.029s. Liam Lawson and Gabriel Bortoleto also exited at that stage.
Pierre Gasly’s challenging weekend continued as he took 14th for Alpine, one place ahead of Williams driver Carlos Sainz, with Haas’ Oliver Bearman 16th.
Antonelli had earlier topped Q1 with a 1m13.380s, ahead of Norris and Piastri. Esteban Ocon was the first driver eliminated, followed by Alex Albon, the Aston Martins and Cadillacs, with Valtteri Bottas last after running wide at Turn 1.
2026 FIA Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix – Qualifying
1 George Russell Mercedes 1:12.578 – –
2 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:12.646 0.068
3 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:12.729 0.151
4 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:12.781 0.203
5 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:12.868 0.290
6 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:12.907 0.329
7 Isack Hadjar Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:12.935 0.357
8 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:12.976 0.398
9 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:13.280 0.702
10 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Mercedes 1:13.697 1.119
11 Nico Hulkenberg Audi 1:13.886 1.308
12 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:13.897 1.319
13 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1:14.071 1.493
14 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Mercedes 1:14.187 1.609
15 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:14.273 1.695
16 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:14.416 1.838
17 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1:14.845 2.267
18 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:14.851 2.273
19 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Honda 1:15.196 2.618
20 Sergio Perez Cadillac/Ferrari 1:15.429 2.851
21 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Honda 1:16.195 3.617
22 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac/Ferrari 1:16.272 3.694
