George Russell took pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix sprint race, narrowly beating his Mercedes team-mate and title rival Kimi Antonelli by 0.068s. Russell’s 1m12.965s lap sealed a Mercedes front-row lockout in Montreal on May 22, 2026, and set the grid for the sprint.
McLaren will line up directly behind, with Lando Norris third at +0.315s and Oscar Piastri fourth at +0.334s after a closely matched session for the second row.
Ferrari locked in the third row, Lewis Hamilton taking fifth at +0.361s ahead of Charles Leclerc at +0.445s.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was seventh at +0.539s, with team-mate Isack Hadjar eighth at +0.640s. Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad secured ninth at +0.772s, and Williams driver Carlos Sainz completed the top 10 at +1.571s.
The remainder of the sprint qualifying order was: 11) Nico Hulkenberg (Audi), 12) Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi), 13) Franco Colapinto (Alpine), 14) Esteban Ocon (Haas), 15) Ollie 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).
This front-row sweep gives Mercedes the early advantage heading into the sprint, with McLaren poised to challenge from row two. Ferrari and Red Bull start within striking distance, setting up an intriguing fight for positions before the remainder of the Canadian Grand Prix weekend.
Source: the-race.com