George Russell charged to pole position for the third consecutive year at the Canadian Grand Prix as Mercedes finished one-two in qualifying Saturday.
Russell, who made a pit stop earlier in the session, clocked one minute 12.578s seconds on his final lap around Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. He edged teammate and Formula One points leader Kimi Antonelli by 0.068 seconds — the exact same gap between the two drivers in sprint qualifying.
Reigning F1 champion Lando Norris of McLaren (1:13.503) rounded out the top three on an overcast, 22 C day.
Russell won the Canadian GP from the pole last year after falling from first to third in 2024. The pole position continues a stellar weekend for the 28-year-old Brit.
Earlier on Saturday, he made contact with Antonelli but avoided disaster to win a dramatic sprint race and shave points off Antonelli’s championship lead.
Russell fended off a pair of attacks from Antonelli on the sixth of 23rd laps as the drivers went wheel-to-wheel on Turn 1, forcing the 19-year-old Italian into the grass.
“That was very naughty,” a furious Antonelli said in one of several complaints as emotions boiled over on the team radio.
Antonelli leads second-place Russell by 18 points after winning the past three Grand Prix races, putting pressure on his more experienced teammate to take back the momentum this weekend.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri will start Sunday’s race in fourth, followed by Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton in fifth and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in sixth. Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto rounded out the top 10.
Montreal’s Lance Stroll, the lone Canadian on the 22-driver grid, will start in 21st. The 27-year-old Stroll is still seeking his first points amid a dismal season for Aston Martin.
The Canadian Grand Prix is the fifth of 22 stops on the F1 calendar after the Iran war forced cancellations in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in April.
The weather forecast for Sunday calls for a chance of rain, meaning drivers could take to a wet track for the first time this season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 23, 2026.
