George Russell returned to form to seize sprint pole at the Canadian Grand Prix, delivering a 1:12.965 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. He edged Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli by just 0.068s in a tight SQ3, with Lando Norris salvaging third after an untidy opening effort.
The session began with two enforced absences. Alex Albon did not take part after striking a marmot in practice, leaving Williams to undertake extensive repairs, including a new power unit and gearbox. Liam Lawson was also sidelined when his Racing Bulls car ground to a halt, with new components required that kept him out of the session.
SQ1 was interrupted by red flags with 1:46 on the clock when Fernando Alonso locked up at Turn 3 and hit the barriers. The stoppage required barrier repairs and halted momentum for several drivers, a frustrating end for the Aston Martin driver after a top-10 showing in practice.
When the pit lane reopened, the field scrambled to beat the clock for a final attempt. Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas and Pierre Gasly failed to make the line in time, while Lance Stroll did, though compromised tire preparation meant no improvement was possible.
The 10-minute SQ2 segment ran on the mandated medium tires under sprint rules. On this compound, Lewis Hamilton’s pace matched the benchmark set by Mercedes’ upgraded package.
Max Verstappen was sent out later and had his first flyer deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn 4. His second run left him ninth and vulnerable, but subsequent personal bests from others were not enough to dislodge the four-time champion.
Carlos Sainz clinched 10th late in SQ2 to progress, demoting Nico Hulkenberg from the shootout. The Audi driver finished just ahead of teammate Gabriel Bortoleto.
In SQ3, Norris regrouped after a scrappy initial lap to secure third on the sprint grid. Russell’s benchmark and Antonelli’s close chase delivered a Mercedes front-row lockout for the Sprint, underlining the impact of the team’s latest upgrade package.
What’s next: Attention turns to the Sprint, where Mercedes will look to convert its front-row advantage. Key storylines include how rivals respond after a disrupted build-up, particularly with Verstappen’s SQ2 scare, and the repair efforts for Aston Martin, Williams and Racing Bulls after Alonso’s crash and the earlier issues for Albon and Lawson.
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*Originally published on [Formula News](https://newsformula.one/article/2026-canadian-gp-russell-takes-sprint-pole-antonelli-p2). Visit for full coverage.*
