Mercedes tightened its grip on the Canadian Grand Prix weekend as George Russell stormed to Sprint pole in Montreal, leading team-mate Kimi Antonelli in a commanding Silver Arrows one-two at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
What To Know
- George Russell grabs pole from Kimi Antonelli and Lando Norris.
- Fernando Alonso crashed out of SQ1, bringing out the red flags.
- Eliminated in SQ1: Perez, Stroll, Gasly, Bottas, Albon, Lawson.
- Eliminated in SQ2: Hulkenberg, Bortoleto, Colapinto, Ocon, Bearman, Alonso.
After showing strong pace throughout Friday’s sole practice session, Mercedes carried that momentum into Sprint Qualifying, with Russell delivering when it mattered most in SQ3. The Briton initially secured provisional pole on his opening run before finding even more pace on his final attempt, producing a 1m12.965s lap that ultimately proved untouchable under the lights in Montreal.
Formula One History Recommends
Antonelli came closest to denying Russell top spot, the Italian teenager finishing just 0.068s behind after another hugely impressive performance as he continued to strengthen his position at the top of the 2026 F1 World Championship standings. The front-row lockout confirmed Mercedes as the benchmark team at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve following the introduction of its latest upgrade package.
2026 Canadian Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying Results
2026 Canadian Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying, 22 May 2026
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:14.772 | 1:13.026 | 1:12.965 | 19 |
| 2 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:14.010 | 1:13.551 | 1:13.033 | 16 |
| 3 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:14.265 | 1:13.957 | 1:13.280 | 15 |
| 4 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:14.665 | 1:13.858 | 1:13.299 | 15 |
| 5 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:13.889 | 1:13.465 | 1:13.326 | 23 |
| 6 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:15.006 | 1:13.554 | 1:13.410 | 19 |
| 7 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:14.028 | 1:14.412 | 1:13.504 | 15 |
| 8 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | 1:14.541 | 1:14.239 | 1:13.605 | 17 |
| 9 | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1:14.517 | 1:14.140 | 1:13.737 | 19 |
| 10 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:15.500 | 1:14.547 | 1:14.536 | 24 |
| 11 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | 1:15.673 | 1:14.595 | 14 | |
| 12 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:15.801 | 1:14.627 | 14 | |
| 13 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:15.484 | 1:14.702 | 16 | |
| 14 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas F1 Team | 1:15.760 | 1:14.928 | 17 | |
| 15 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas F1 Team | 1:15.872 | 1:15.197 | 17 | |
| 16 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:15.760 | 7 | ||
| 17 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | 1:16.002 | 8 | ||
| 18 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:16.354 | 9 | ||
| 19 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:16.642 | 8 | ||
| 20 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1:16.866 | 8 |
McLaren emerged as Mercedes’ nearest challenger, although neither Lando Norris nor Oscar Piastri could quite match the pace of the silver cars across the crucial final runs. Norris secured third place, three tenths adrift of Russell, while Piastri slotted into fourth to underline McLaren’s continued competitiveness at the front of the field.
Ferrari also remained firmly in the mix throughout Sprint Qualifying, particularly Lewis Hamilton, who looked increasingly comfortable around one of his most successful circuits. The seven-time Canadian Grand Prix winner ended the session fifth, narrowly ahead of team-mate Charles Leclerc in sixth after both Ferraris showed flashes of strong one-lap speed through all three qualifying segments.
Max Verstappen endured a more difficult evening in the Red Bull and could manage only seventh place on the grid for Saturday’s Sprint. The Dutchman was unable to challenge the Mercedes or McLaren drivers during the decisive SQ3 laps and finished ahead of team-mate Isack Hadjar, who continued his impressive rookie campaign with eighth position.
Racing Bulls youngster Arvid Lindblad once again caught attention by progressing to the final segment and qualifying ninth, while Carlos Sainz rounded out the top 10 for Williams after bouncing back from a disrupted practice session earlier in the day.
Just outside the top 10, Audi narrowly missed out on SQ3 despite another encouraging performance from both drivers. Nico Hulkenberg finished 11th ahead of team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto in 12th, with Franco Colapinto placing 13th for Alpine after recovering from the throttle issue that restricted his running during Free Practice 1.
The Haas duo of Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman completed the SQ2 order in 14th and 15th respectively, while Fernando Alonso’s session ended in dramatic fashion during SQ1. The Aston Martin driver crashed into the barriers and triggered a red flag during the opening phase of Sprint Qualifying, preventing him from taking any further part in the session despite progressing through to SQ2 on lap time.
That stoppage created chaos when Sprint Qualifying resumed with less than two minutes remaining on the clock. Teams scrambled to release their cars in time for a final flying lap, but the congested pit lane and limited window meant several drivers failed to cross the line before the chequered flag.
As a result, Cadillac’s Sergio Perez was eliminated in 17th ahead of Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, Alpine driver Pierre Gasly and the second Cadillac of Valtteri Bottas, all of whom were denied a final attempt at improving their times.
Two drivers did not participate in Sprint Qualifying at all, following problems earlier in the day. Alex Albon was ruled out after Williams failed to fully repair the damage sustained when he struck a groundhog during Free Practice 1, while Liam Lawson also missed the session after Racing Bulls discovered a hydraulic leak on his VCARB 03 following the opening practice hour.
Race Guide
Championship: 2026 F1 World Championship
Race weekend: 22 May 2026 – 24 May 2026
Race date: Sunday, 24 May 2026
Race start time: 16:00 local time
Circuit: Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve
Laps: 70
Circuit length: 4.361km
2025 winner: George Russell
Seen in:
