George Russell reveals Mercedes direction change that almost cost him Canadian pole

George Russell has revealed that a change in car direction by Mercedes almost cost him his latest Canadian Grand Prix pole.

A small mistake on his first push lap in the top-10 shoot-out at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve left Russell without a time on the board going into the second runs. The British driver was first out and did enough to slot into third, but with enough fuel in his W17 to push again as effectively last man on track, going on to beat team-mate Kimi Antonelli by 0.068s to secure his fourth consecutive pole position at this event.

Why it matters:

Russell's admission highlights the delicate balance teams face when weather forecasts influence setup choices—especially in a championship battle where every hundredth of a second counts. The decision to lean toward a wet-weather configuration could have backfired, but Russell's ability to adapt on his final lap saved the session.

The details:

• Setup gamble: Mercedes opted for a wet-weather biased setup based on Sunday's rain forecast, which Russell said "took the car out of sync" and made him less competitive than Antonelli during qualifying.
• Sprint victory context: Earlier Saturday, Russell won the 23-lap sprint race, but the car's behavior shifted significantly under qualifying conditions, prompting the team to make changes that Russell now questions.
• Teammate tension: Antonelli felt Russell's defense in the sprint was too aggressive, forcing him off track at Turn 1. Russell confirmed they've since spoken, saying: "We're both racing drivers, we know what to do, we both respect one another."
• Forecast factor: Constant rain is predicted for Sunday's race, which could level the field and make Mercedes' gamble pay off—or create a whole new challenge.

What's next:

Russell is focused on converting pole into victory, but acknowledges the wet weather will reset the competitive order. With both Mercedes drivers locked in a tight internal battle and rivals closing in, Sunday's race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve promises high drama under the rain.

"We hope it's just the two of us battling, but we saw today how competitive everybody else is," Russell said. "Tomorrow looks to be wet, and that's going to be a whole new challenge."