George Russell claimed a sensational pole position for the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix in Montréal, narrowly edging out Max Verstappen in a thrilling qualifying session packed with drama, surprises, and incredibly close margins across the field.
Before qualifying even began, the headlines were already buzzing. Yuki Tsunoda was slapped with a 10-place grid penalty for overtaking Oscar Piastri under red-flag conditions during FP3, a significant blow for the RB driver on what was shaping up to be a strong weekend.
Q1:
Qualifying kicked off with last year’s pole-sitter George Russell laying down the first benchmark of the session with a 1:12.574 on the medium compound tyre, a bold strategy also mirrored by Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli and the Alpine duo, while the rest of the field opted for softs.
Rookie Antonelli impressed early, clocking within 0.060s of Russell’s time. Liam Lawson slotted into sixth on his first flyer, narrowly ahead of his RB teammate Isack Hadjar by 0.018s.
The times rapidly tumbled. Piastri surged to the top with a 1:12.332 before Max Verstappen edged him out with a 1:12.273. Then, on mediums, Fernando Alonso shocked the field with a 1:12.239.
The session was halted when Alex Albon’s engine cover exploded, sending debris across the track. After a red flag and quick cleanup, action resumed, and Lando Norris wasted no time, going fastest with a 1:11.826.
Hadjar climbed to fifth with a strong late lap, while Lawson struggled to make similar gains. Despite improving, he slipped down the order as others went faster, including a remarkable recovery from Albon, who jumped from 20th to 6th after his earlier issues.
In the final flurry, Lawson was bumped down to 19th, just 0.699s off the top, but eliminated, marking his worst qualifying since China. The cutoff to Q2 was heartbreakingly tight: just 0.007s separated 15th from 16th.
“What the hell just happened? I have no idea,” Lawson said to his race engineer after failing to advance to the second qualifying session.
Carlos Sainz also eliminated, was furious after being impeded by Hadjar on his final flyer, an incident now under investigation.
Top 5 in Q1:
- Norris – 1:11.826
- Piastri +0.113s
- Hamilton +0.126s
- Leclerc +0.212s
- Verstappen +0.228s
Eliminated in Q1:
Bortoleto, Sainz, Stroll, Lawson, Gasly
Q2:
The midfield battle heated up as Max Verstappen opted for mediums again and set the pace with a 1:11.638, but it didn’t last long. Charles Leclerc briefly took over at the top with a 1:11.626 before George Russell answered with a 1:11.570 to lead the session.
Tsunoda fought hard to escape the drop zone, but a late flyer from Hadjar pushed him back out. Alonso’s timely lap bumped Hadjar down to 10th, but the Frenchman held on and progressed to Q3.
Colapinto impressed but narrowly missed out, while Bearman and Ocon also failed to advance.
Top 5 in Q2:
- Russell – 1:11.570
- Norris +0.029s
- Leclerc +0.056s
- Verstappen +0.068s
- Piastri +0.145s
Eliminated in Q2:
Tsunoda, Colapinto, Hulkenberg, Bearman, Ocon
Q3:
All drivers headed out on softs except Albon, who gambled on mediums. Oscar Piastri set the early benchmark with a 1:11.273, but Verstappen quickly shaved that down with a 1:11.248. Then, with just seconds remaining, the pace intensified.
Piastri reclaimed the top spot with a blistering 1:11.120, but Verstappen responded immediately with a 1:11.059, seemingly good enough for pole. However, George Russell had one final lap left and absolutely nailed it, storming to a 1:10.899 and taking pole by 0.160s.
Kimi Antonelli continued his strong qualifying form, grabbing fourth behind Piastri in only his eighth Grand Prix weekend. Lewis Hamilton qualified fifth, narrowly ahead of Alonso, while Norris and Leclerc line up seventh and eighth. Albon and Hadjar completed the top 10.
Q3 Top 10 Results:
- Russell – 1:10.899
- Verstappen +0.160s
- Piastri +0.221s
- Antonelli +0.492s
- Hamilton +0.627s
- Alonso +0.687s
- Norris +0.726s
- Leclerc +0.783s
- Albon +1.157s
- Hadjar +1.455s
With Russell and Verstappen, fresh off a heated moment in Spain and with Verstappen one penalty point away from a race ban, sharing the front row, Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix promises drama.
Piastri and Antonelli lurk close behind, while further down the grid, expect Tsunoda to charge forward after his penalty and Sainz to be fired up after his Q1 exit.
Header Image: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images via Red Bull Content Pool
