George Russell admitted that setup changes made by Mercedes before qualifying almost cost him pole position at the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix.
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A few hours after winning the sprint in Montreal, George Russell had to fight until the last moments to secure another pole position at the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit.
The Briton seemed to be struggling at the start of Q3. A mistake during his first attempt prevented him from setting a time, leaving him under pressure before the final series of fast laps.
Meanwhile, Kimi Antonelli confirmed his excellent form over the weekend by temporarily taking the lead in the session. Mercedes then seemed close to seeing the Italian claim his first pole in Formula 1.
But Russell eventually found the resources to turn the situation around at the very last moment and secure a fourth consecutive pole in Montreal.
Mercedes changed its car before qualifying
After the session, Russell explained that Mercedes had chosen a different setup direction between the sprint and qualifying. A choice that disrupted the balance of his W17 during much of the session.
The British driver admitted that these adjustments might not have been ideal immediately, even if they could become very useful for Sunday’s race.
“It’s always complicated after a sprint because the car feels very different once you return to the qualifying format,” Russell explained.
“We made some changes and now we have to analyze if it was really the right direction to take.”
A gamble oriented towards the rain expected on Sunday
According to Russell, Mercedes mainly adapted its car anticipating the weather conditions forecast for the Grand Prix. With rain strongly expected on Sunday in Montreal, the team favored a setup more oriented towards wet conditions.
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“With the forecast for tomorrow, it may have penalized us a bit today,” he admitted.
“The car was a bit out of its optimal window. Kimi was clearly more competitive than me for much of the session.”
Despite this, Russell managed to completely transform his approach on his final flying lap.
“That last lap came out of nowhere. When a session is so difficult and you finally manage to put everything together at the right moment, it’s an incredible feeling.”
An ongoing intense rivalry with Antonelli
This new battle between Russell and Antonelli comes only a few hours after their very intense duel during the sprint. The Italian had notably criticized his teammate for what he considered an overly aggressive defense at the first corner.
Russell assures that tensions have already cooled down within Mercedes.
“We talked after the sprint. We are two drivers who respect each other and know how to race against one another.”
The Briton now prefers to focus on the main race, where the weather conditions could completely reshuffle the cards.
“We mainly hope to fight for the win. But with the rain forecast and such a tight field, it will be a whole new challenge.”
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