George Russell will start on pole for the Sprint in Canada ahead of his teammate Kimi Antonelli, after extremely tight qualifying in Montreal.
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Mercedes delivered a benchmark performance during the sprint qualifying for the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix. On the Gilles Villeneuve circuit, George Russell set the best time in SQ3 at 1:12.965, securing the first place on the Sprint grid.
The Briton is ahead of his teammate Kimi Antonelli, allowing the German team to lock out the front row and confirm their excellent momentum since the start of the weekend.
The fight for the top positions was particularly close, with very small gaps between the main favorites throughout SQ3.
McLaren lurking behind the Silver Arrows
Behind Mercedes, McLaren also stood out with a solid close grouping. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri complete the top of the grid by taking third and fourth positions respectively.
The two drivers long seemed capable of threatening pole, but failed to improve enough during their final fast laps to get better than the second row.
This performance nevertheless confirms McLaren’s competitiveness on a Montreal circuit where gaps remain particularly tight.
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Ferrari on the third row, Verstappen struggling
Ferrari will have to settle for the third row for the Sprint. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc showed good pace in SQ3, but slightly lost time during the last decisive attempts.
Further down the grid, Max Verstappen had a more complicated session. The Red Bull driver could do no better than seventh place, penalized by a car considered unstable and difficult to exploit in fast sequences.
These sprint qualifications were also marked by several interruptions. Fernando Alonso’s accident in SQ1 caused the first red flag, disrupting the session’s flow.
Other incidents and unexpected eliminations, notably that of Pierre Gasly, also contributed to reshuffling the cards and increasing uncertainty in the final hierarchy.
The Sprint grid in Montreal therefore promises an exciting race, with Mercedes in an ideal position to control the action from the first corners.
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