Canadian GP: Russell snatches pole from Antonelli with late flyer

A tense, tyre-sensitive qualifying session at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve ended with a familiar name back on top, as George Russell delivered a late flyer to grab pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix, edging teammate Kimi Antonelli and a resurgent field led early by Lando Norris.

For most of Q3, Norris looked in control, setting the benchmark while the Mercedes duo struggled to string together clean laps on a slippery, cold circuit.

Russell even aborted his first push lap after failing to find the grip window, a sign of just how delicate conditions were. But the final runs flipped the script. Antonelli briefly stole the spotlight, jumping ahead of Norris with a committed lap as the session reached its climax.

• Canadian Grand Prix - Qualifying results

Moments later, Russell produced the decisive response, finding extra pace in the final sector to punch in a 1m12.579s lap and secure his second pole of the season.

The result mirrors the Sprint grid order from earlier in the weekend, when the Mercedes pair also lined up at the front in Montreal before their controversial wheel-to-wheel flashpoint into Turn 1.

Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri will share the second row, replicating their Sprint positioning, while seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton secured fifth.

Cold grip, hot nerves

A chilly track surface repeatedly caught drivers out, with front tyres stubbornly refusing to enter the optimal operating window. Several contenders resorted to double warm-up laps just to prepare a single flying attempt.

Max Verstappen described his Red Bull as “driving on ice” but still salvaged sixth, just ahead of teammate Isack Hadjar and a visibly frustrated Charles Leclerc, who battled ongoing balance issues and vented over team radio.

Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad continued his standout Montreal weekend with a strong ninth, while Alpine’s Franco Colapinto completed the top ten.

Both impressed by outpacing more experienced teammates in Q2, with Lindblad especially eye-catching as he helped lead the segment pace. The Q2 cutoff proved brutal, as Nico Hülkenberg missed out by just 0.029s in 11th, followed by Lawson and Gabriel Bortoleto.

Further back, it was another painful session for Alpine’s Pierre Gasly in 14th, while Carlos Sainz could only manage 15th in his Williams and Haas rookie Oliver Bearman lined up 16th.

Early exits and weekend struggles

Q1 saw Antonelli set the initial benchmark with a commanding 1m13.380s, over a tenth clear of both Norris and Piastri.

While the front runners generally avoided major drama, Leclerc flirted with elimination after running off on his opening attempt before recovering late.

At the back, Esteban Ocon narrowly missed Q2, while Alex Albon’s difficult weekend continued with elimination. T

he four entries from Aston Martin and Cadillac were also knocked out early, with Fernando Alonso down in 19th and Valtteri Bottas last after a final-lap mistake at Turn 1.

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