George Russell delivered a commanding performance in Sprint Qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix, securing pole with a 1:12:965. The Mercedes driver gained the upper hand late in SQ2 and ultimately headed an all-Mercedes front row, edging teammate Kimi Antonelli by 0.068s and checking his momentum.
Lando Norris led the McLaren challenge in third, 0.315s off Russell, with Oscar Piastri close behind at 0.334s. Ferrari locked out row three as Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc took fifth and sixth, 0.361s and 0.445s adrift respectively.
Max Verstappen was seventh for Red Bull, followed by teammate Isack Hadjar. Arvid Lindblad placed ninth for Racing Bulls, while Carlos Sainz completed the top 10 for Williams with a +1.571s deficit.
Further back, Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto qualified 11th and 12th for Audi, with Franco Colaptino 13th for Alpine. Haas secured 14th and 15th via Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman, while Fernando Alonso will start 16th for Aston Martin.
Sergio Perez lines up 17th for Cadillac ahead of Lance Stroll in 18th for Aston Martin. Pierre Gasly is 19th for Alpine, with Valtteri Bottas 20th for Cadillac, Alex Albon 21st for Williams and Liam Lawson 22nd for Racing Bulls.
Sprint Qualifying classification:
- 1. George Russell, Mercedes — 1:12:965
- 2. Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes — +0.068
- 3. Lando Norris, McLaren — +0.315
- 4. Oscar Piastri, McLaren — +0.334
- 5. Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari — +0.361
- 6. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari — +0.445
- 7. Max Verstappen, Red Bull — +.0539
- 8. Isack Hadjar, Red Bull — +0.640
- 9. Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls — +.0772
- 10. Carlos Sainz, Williams — +1.571
- 11. Nico Hulkenberg, Audi
- 12. Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi
- 13. Franco Colaptino, Alpine
- 14. Esteban Ocon, Haas
- 15. Oliver Bearman, Haas
- 16. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
- 17. Sergio Perez, Cadillac
- 18. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
- 19. Pierre Gasly, Alpine
- 20. Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac
- 21. Alex Albon, Williams
- 22. Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls
The result sets the grid for the Sprint, with Russell aiming to convert pole while Antonelli, the McLaren pair and the Ferraris look to apply pressure. Attention now turns to the Sprint itself to shape momentum for the rest of the weekend.
Source: motorsportweek.com