Russell storms to Sprint pole at the Canadian GP

George Russell claimed pole position for the Sprint at the Canadian Grand Prix, leading a Mercedes front-row lockout. Kimi Antonelli was second, just 0.068s behind, while Lando Norris rounded out the top three for McLaren at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Why it matters:

Mercedes' dominant showing in Sprint Qualifying signals a potential shift in the competitive order. After a mixed start to the 2026 season, the team's pace on the soft tyres in SQ3 suggests they could be genuine contenders for the win in both the Sprint and Sunday's Grand Prix.

The details:

• SQ3 saw all drivers switch to softs, with Russell setting a 1:12.965 to beat Antonelli. Norris (1:13.280) was third, followed by Oscar Piastri and the Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
• Max Verstappen could only manage seventh for Red Bull, while teammate Isack Hadjar was eighth. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) and Carlos Sainz (Williams) completed the top 10.
• SQ1 was punctuated by incidents: Alexander Albon missed the session after his Williams was damaged in FP1 when he struck a groundhog. Fernando Alonso then caused a red flag by crashing at Turn 3, which eliminated Pierre Gasly, both Cadillacs, Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas, and Lance Stroll.
• SQ2 ran without major drama, with Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) leading the eliminated group in P11. Gabriel Bortoleto, Franco Colapinto, Esteban Ocon, and Oliver Bearman also failed to progress.

What's next:

The Sprint race later today will offer the first real test of Mercedes' race pace. With Russell and Antonelli on the front row, the team will aim to convert their qualifying speed into a victory, while McLaren and Ferrari will look to challenge. Red Bull, particularly Verstappen, will need to recover from a disappointing qualifying to salvage points.