Russell takes sprint pole in Canada
- Jason Sharp
- May 22
- 2 min read
Written by Jason Sharp
After just a single practice session filled with disruptions, the drivers headed into Sprint Qualifying at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, which is hosting a sprint weekend for the first time.
It was George Russell who took the sprint pole ahead of Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli.
SQ1 - Hamilton goes quickest as Alonso crashes out
The session was topped by Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time Canadian Grand Prix winner set a lap time of 1:13.889.
Fernando Alonso crashed out at Turn 3, after an uncharacteristic lockup sent his Aston Martin straight-on into the barriers. After a delay to make repairs, the session was resumed with just 1:46 remaining. No drivers were able to set a further time.
There were two drivers out before the session had begun. Liam Lawson and Alexander Albon were unable to take part due to their respective issues suffered during FP1.
SQ1 Exits
P17 - Sergio Perez
P18 - Lance Stroll
P19 - Pierre Gasly
P20 - Valtteri Bottas
P21 - Alexander Albon
P22 - Liam Lawson
SQ2 - Russell shows his hand by going quickest
George Russell set the fastest time of the session with a 1:13.026, ahead of Hamilton by 0.439 seconds.
Max Verstappen finished the session in P9 and was vocal about not feeling comfortable with the rear of the car.
Fernando Alonso managed to qualify his Aston Martin into SQ2, but could not take part due to crashing out of SQ1.
SQ2 Exits
P11 - Nico Hulkenberg
P12 - Gabriel Bortoleto
P13 - Franco Colapinto
P14 - Esteban Ocon
P15 - Oliver Bearman
P16 - Fernando Alonso
SQ3 - Russell takes pole with Antonelli in P2
After topping SQ2, Russell took sprint pole with a lap time of 1:12.965. After going quickest initially, he improved further on his second run.
Antonelli finished P2, being behind by just 0.068 seconds. Norris was three tenths behind in P3, ahead of team mate Piastri in P4.
Hamilton looked strong all session, but could only manage P5 ahead of Leclerc in P6. The Red Bulls of Verstappen and Hadjar were P7 and P8 respectively.
Top 10
P1 - George Russell
P2 - Kimi Antonelli
P3 - Lando Norris
P4 - Oscar Piastri
P5 - Lewis Hamilton
P6 - Charles Leclerc
P7 - Max Verstappen
P8 - Isaac Hadjar
P9 - Arvid Lindblad
P10 - Carlos Sainz
Looking ahead
Mercedes are the clear favourites for the rest of the weekend, with their upgrades pushing them further forward. The linear order shows McLaren are second best, followed by Ferrari then Red Bull.
The Ferraris are known for their superior starts; can they utilise this within the short run towards Turn 1 to jump the McLarens? Can Verstappen work some magic to climb the order, and how aggressive will the Mercedes be against each other?
There’s never been a sprint in Montreal, but it’s a circuit that never fails to deliver.
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