Image: from SleeperF1 X @SleeperF1
By Open Chronicle with agencies
George Russell claimed pole position for the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix after delivering a stunning final lap in the closing seconds of qualifying at Montreal’s Gilles Villeneuve Circuit, securing a dominant Mercedes front-row lockout alongside teammate Kimi Antonelli.
Fresh from winning the Sprint race earlier in the day, Russell once again rose to the occasion when it mattered most. The British driver overturned Antonelli’s provisional pole during the final moments of Q3, prompting an emotional celebration from Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff on the pit wall.
The result confirmed Mercedes as the clear benchmark throughout the Canadian weekend after also leading the sole practice session and the Sprint Qualifying earlier in the event.
Behind the Silver Arrows, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri secured the second row for McLaren, while Lewis Hamilton finished fifth after making a mistake exiting Turn 7 during his final flying lap.
Qualifying began with an extremely competitive Q1 session. Although Mercedes entered as favorites, McLaren, Red Bull, and even Racing Bulls showed strong pace immediately. Norris briefly outpaced both Mercedes drivers, while Max Verstappen also spent time at the top before Antonelli restored Mercedes control.
One of the surprises of the session was Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad, who consistently appeared among the fastest drivers during the early stages. Franco Colapinto also impressed with a solid pace for Alpine.
Several incidents kept race control busy throughout Q1. Fernando Alonso came under investigation for an unsafe release after nearly colliding with Colapinto in the pit lane. Hamilton was investigated for allegedly impeding Pierre Gasly at Turn 8, while Sergio Pérez was also noted for failing to follow the race director’s instructions.
Brazilian rookie Gabriel Bortoleto endured another difficult opening phase. The Audi driver repeatedly dropped into the elimination zone while complaining over team radio about the car’s handling. In the final moments of Q1, however, Bortoleto improved from 18th to 16th to narrowly survive elimination. Teammate Nico Hülkenberg also advanced by a small margin.
Eliminated in Q1 were Esteban Ocon, Alexander Albon, Alonso, Pérez, Lance Stroll and Valtteri Bottas.
McLaren appeared particularly strong at the start of Q2. Unlike most teams, Norris and Piastri opted against using two warm-up laps and immediately moved to the top of the timing sheets. Bortoleto also impressed during the middle segment and briefly climbed to fourth position, suggesting Audi had a stronger one-lap pace in main qualifying than during the Sprint.
The closing moments of Q2 proved exceptionally tight. Russell aborted one of his attempts, Antonelli struggled with an inconsistent lap, and Verstappen responded aggressively after becoming frustrated with the pace gap to teammate Isack Hadjar.
Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc repeatedly complained over the Ferrari radio about the car’s behavior, describing it as “completely on the limit.” Despite the difficulties, the Monegasque driver still advanced to Q3.
Bortoleto improved again during the final runs but could only reach 13th place, narrowly missing the final qualifying segment.
Eliminated in Q2 were Oliver Bearman, Carlos Sainz, Gasly, Bortoleto, Liam Lawson, and Hülkenberg.
In Q3, Mercedes fully confirmed its superiority. Hamilton initially looked capable of challenging for pole but lost time after making mistakes during both decisive attempts. Norris also failed to improve on his final lap, while Piastri climbed into third position late in the session.
Antonelli then appeared set to claim his first Formula 1 pole after beating Norris by 0.083 seconds. However, Russell was still completing an exceptional final lap. The Mercedes driver improved significantly in the closing sectors and snatched pole position just before the chequered flag.
Russell finished with a best lap of 1min12s578, narrowly ahead of Antonelli’s 1min12s646.
Verstappen eventually secured sixth after overcoming Hadjar in the closing moments, while Leclerc could only manage eighth as Ferrari continued struggling for consistency around the Canadian circuit. Lindblad finished an impressive ninth, while Colapinto completed the top ten.
Top 10 Grid, Canadian Grand Prix 2026
- George Russell, Mercedes, 1:12.578
- Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, +0.068
- Lando Norris, McLaren
- Oscar Piastri, McLaren
- Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull
- Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls
- Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
- Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls
- Franco Colapinto, Alpine