On pole for the sprint race in Canada, George Russell acknowledges that Mercedes has only progressed by “small steps” on one of its major weaknesses: starts.
George Russell set the fastest time in the sprint qualifying at the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix, narrowly beating his teammate Kimi Antonelli by just 0.068 seconds on the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit.
This result confirms the current good form of Mercedes, which places both its cars on the front row of the grid for the sprint race. An ideal scenario on paper, especially after the recent upgrades introduced on the W17.
But despite this performance, Russell refuses to give in to euphoria. The Briton insists on a recurring problem since the start of the season: the often poor starts of the German team.
A starting problem still not resolved
Mercedes has regularly lost positions at the moment the lights go out this season, with both drivers frequently overtaken by Ferrari and McLaren in the first meters of the race.
Russell acknowledges that progress exists, but it remains limited.
“We are making progress, but these are small steps in this area,” explained the Mercedes driver. “I’m not going to say that we will necessarily manage to start well in P1 and P2. I hope it will be the case, but history shows that it hasn’t happened often this season, if at all.”
The Briton therefore remains cautious before the sprint race, aware that the starting position does not guarantee a lasting advantage.
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“We’ll see tomorrow, but it’s already a good first day,” he added.
A boost of confidence after a difficult weekend in Miami
This return to the front comes at the right time for Russell, who is coming off a complicated Miami Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver admits, however, that the particular conditions of this Florida weekend had distorted the team’s benchmarks.
In Montreal, on a more classic and grippier track, the W17 seems particularly comfortable, notably thanks to the new upgrades recently introduced.
Russell says he is satisfied with the overall behavior of the car.
“It’s really nice to drive, he explained. The team has done an excellent job with this package. On a circuit like this, everything works very well.”
McLaren and Ferrari still lurking
Despite this sprint pole, Mercedes knows that the competition remains extremely close. McLaren and Ferrari remain in the fight, with small gaps over a lap as well as in race pace.
Russell also recalled that the performances observed in Montreal could be specific to this type of circuit, very fast and with high grip.
While Kimi Antonelli currently leads the drivers’ championship, Russell hopes to turn this pole into a concrete result on Saturday, while keeping in mind the persistent fragilities of Mercedes at the start.
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