George Russell swooped in at the end of qualifying to beat Max Verstappen to pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix. Oscar Piastri starts third with Lando Norris down in seventh following a brace of Q3 errors.
With just over five minutes remaining in Q1 and the track rubbering in, the red flag was waved. Alex Albon’s engine cover exploded off the left side of the car, spraying debris across the track. After a brief repair job, the Thai-British driver punched in a lap worthy of finishing P8 in the running order.
There was no such luck for his Williams team-mate, Carlos Sainz, though. He was impeded by Isack Hadjar on his final run, costing him crucial time en route to a Q1 elimination. The Spaniard was incensed on the radio as he cursed the “massive impeding” from the Racing Bulls man.
Verstappen set an impressive early marker in Q2, pipping Norris and Piastri to top spot on medium compound tyres. Further down the order, Oliver Bearman and Franco Colapinto showed impressive pace, with the latter desperate for a strong weekend after three tough Grands Prix in a row.
However, when the flag dropped, it was Russell at the top of the timing screens with Norris close behind on a time concocted on used soft tyres. There was no reprise for Yuki Tsunoda at the other end, though. He was knocked out in P11, resigning him to a back row start following his 10-place grid penalty for an FP3 red flag infringement.
Piastri couldn’t improve enough on his final Q3 lap to better Verstappen, who looked destined for pole, but Russell stormed in late on with a sensational lap to claim pole in Montreal for the second year running. Norris made a mistake for the second lap running, meaning he faces another Sunday of damage limitation from seventh on the grid.
Canadian Grand Prix qualifying results
1. George Russell (Mercedes)
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
3. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
4. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
5. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
6. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
7. Lando Norris (McLaren)