George Russell has taken pole for the sprint in Canada. After trading fastest times with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton throughout SQ3, Russell put in not one but two ballistic final laps that put him clear of the field. Having endured an off-colour weekend last time out in Miami, Russell was visibly pleased at his return to form. The six-time grand prix winner remained level-headed about his prospects for the sprint and acknowledged the challenge posed by the likes of McLaren, Ferrari and, most notably, his own teammate. He may have failed to match Russell for much of the session, but Kimi Antonelli’s final run secured a spot on the front row, just 0.058s behind his teammate.
McLaren’s momentum in FP1 carried through into sprint qualifying. Lando Norris secured third, one place ahead of his teammate Oscar Piastri, a result that reflects well on the upgrades McLaren has brought to Montreal.
After going toe to toe with Russell throughout SQ3, Hamilton had to settle for fifth. A slight error at the hairpin denied him a shot at the top three, but with just 0.046s separating him and third-place Norris, Hamilton with his fast-starting Ferrari will be one to watch tomorrow.
Charles Leclerc was unable to contend with his teammate’s pace throughout sprint qualifying and will start sixth, one place ahead of a frustrated Max Verstappen. Fresh off his debut at the Nürburgring 24 hours (where he lost a likely win due to a driveshaft issue with less than four hours to go), Verstappen narrowly escaped an SQ2 elimination with a late flying lap and later reported significant bouncing in SQ3. Seventh was all he could manage.
Isack Hadjar made it an all-Red Bull fourth row and will be looking for a strong result, having crashed out in Miami. With Liam Lawson unable to take part in sprint qualifying due to mechanical issues sustained in FP1, Arvid Lindblad was left to represent RB. The rookie expressed regret at having left time on the table in SQ3 but will nevertheless line up a commendable ninth, one place ahead of Carlos Sainz, who secured a top ten grid slot in the dying seconds of SQ2.
Nico Hulkenberg will start a familiar 11th ahead of his teammate Gabriel Bortoleto. Despite failing to set a representative time in FP1, Franco Colapinto was able to go 13th fastest in sprint qualifying.
Esteban Ocon will line up 14th ahead of his teammate Ollie Bearman, who lamented his lack of pace. Fernando Alonso locked up at turn three in SQ1 and ran into the wall with less than two minutes to go. Having already set the 14th fastest time, Alonso was able to progress to SQ2 for the first time this season but was did not take part in the session due to the damage caused by the collision.
Sergio Perez qualified 17th ahead of Lance Stroll, Pierre Gasly and Valtteri Bottas. In addition to Lawson, Alex Albon was unable to take part in sprint qualifying due to damage caused by a collision with a groundhog in free practice.
After playing second fiddle to his teammate for the last three grand prix, a commanding run to sprint pole was just the response Russell needed. The Brit has been a force to be reckoned with around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve as of late, but with his teammate starting alongside him, Russell will have plenty to think about going into turn one tomorrow.
