George Russell put Mercedes on pole for the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix, leading a front-row lockout ahead of teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Russell’s late 1:12.578 delivered the decisive lap, pipping Antonelli by 0.068s after the pair had already gone wheel-to-wheel in the day’s Sprint race.
McLaren will start directly behind the silver cars, with Lando Norris qualifying third and Oscar Piastri fourth. The orange duo’s consistency ensured both slots on the second row for Sunday’s race.
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton secured fifth, while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen lines up sixth. Isack Hadjar follows in seventh for Red Bull, with Charles Leclerc set to start eighth for Ferrari after a muted session.
Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad claimed ninth and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto completed the top 10. The competitive spread across the top five rows sets up a mixed strategic battle for the Grand Prix.
Outside the top 10, the grid is as follows:
- 11) Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
- 12) Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
- 13) Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
- 14) Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
- 15) Carlos Sainz (Williams)
- 16) Oliver Bearman (Haas)
- 17) Esteban Ocon (Haas)
- 18) Alex Albon (Williams)
- 19) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
- 20) Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
- 21) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
- 22) Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
Russell’s pole crowns a strong day for Mercedes following his earlier Sprint victory, and the team will control the front row at lights out. McLaren’s all-orange second row positions Norris and Piastri to attack, while Ferrari and Red Bull are poised on rows three and four for the start.
What to watch next: the opening-lap fight between the Mercedes pair, McLaren’s launch from row two, and how Ferrari and Red Bull deploy strategy to move forward from the pack.
Source: motorsportweek.com