Canadian Grand Prix: Pole again for Russell
Cloudy. Dry. Air +21C, track +31C
In 2026, the Canadian stage was held for the first time in a format with a Saturday sprint, the power dynamics by the start of the main qualifying session had already become clear, but the intrigue remained – both in the team standings, which had made adjustments based on the results of the previous sessions, and in the battle between teammates.
Qualifying in Canada is always interesting. There were enough incidents and crashes throughout the weekend, and in the tight battle for position, risks had to be taken, especially since on Sunday it could be particularly important – the forecast promised precipitation, and the FIA issued a rain warning even before qualifying.
It is often said that on tracks where overtaking is possible, pole position is not particularly important, but in Montreal, the statistics for street circuits show that out of the last ten Grands Prix, seven were won by the qualifying winner.
As last year, the Mercedes drivers dominated throughout the weekend. Antonelli led the practice, Russell won the qualifying for the sprint and the sprint itself – they nearly collided during the sprint. In the battle for the lead, George squeezed his young teammate off the track, Kimi publicly expressed his dissatisfaction, but Toto Wolff asked him twice during the session to refrain from discussing such matters publicly. Everyone was eagerly awaiting the continuation!
Pirelli brought the "soft" trio of compounds – C3, C4, and C5 as Hard, Medium, and Soft. The condition of the track improved compared to the beginning of the weekend, with the asphalt covered in used rubber.
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In the first session, Alonso was released onto the pit lane just before the passing car of Colapinto – Franco had to brake sharply to avoid a collision. The stewards took note of the incident, as well as the incident with Stroll's unsafe exit.
Everyone went out on Soft. Traffic was an issue on the short track. Leclerc had his fast lap canceled due to going off track. Hülkenberg and Bortoleto went off track – without consequences for the cars.
The best time was set by Antonelli, completing a lap in 1:13.380. Ocon, Albon, Alonso, Pérez, Stroll, and Bottas were eliminated from further contention.
In the second session, everyone again went out on Soft. Sainz returned to the pits after his installation lap but then went out again. Antonelli set a new benchmark – 1:13.076.
Berman, Lawson, and Russell went off track without consequences for the cars. Verstappen complained that he couldn't get the tires to work.
In the second attempt, Hamilton topped the timesheet with 1:12.975, then Hadjar was seven hundredths faster – 1:12.975 – the top five were within a tenth.
Hülkenberg, Lawson, Bortoleto, Gasly, Sainz, and Berman did not make it to the final.
In the final, Norris set a new benchmark – 1:12.729. Many complained about a lack of grip and difficulties with heating – the sky was overcast during the day, and it got colder.
The battle was tight. Drivers swapped positions at the top, but in the end, experience triumphed over youth – Russell edged out Antonelli by seven hundredths, leading the timesheet with 1:12.578.
George Russell won qualifying in Montreal for the third consecutive year, securing his ninth career pole and second of the season.
The Mercedes drivers will occupy the entire front row of the starting grid on Sunday, the McLaren drivers will start from the second row, Hamilton and Verstappen from the third. Much depends on the weather in the race.
Qualifying results
Driver
Team
1st session
2nd session
3rd session
№
Time
Lap
№
Time
Lap
№
Time
Lap
1. G. Russell
Mercedes
8
1:13.953
6
5
1:13.079
9
1
1:12.578
9
2. K. Antonelli
Mercedes
1
1:13.380
6
4
1:13.076
10
2
1:12.646
8
3. L. Norris
McLaren
2
1:13.503
10
3
1:13.049
10
3
1:12.729
8
4. O. Piastri
McLaren
3
1:13.559
11
6
1:13.285
10
4
1:12.781
8
5. L. Hamilton
Ferrari
5
1:13.767
11
2
1:13.041
9
5
1:12.868
7
6. M. Verstappen
Red Bull
9
1:14.067
5
7
1:13.479
9
6
1:12.907
9
7. A. Hadjar
Red Bull
4
1:13.654
5
1
1:12.975
9
7
1:12.935
8
8. C. Leclerc
Ferrari
6
1:13.825
11
8
1:13.496
10
8
1:12.976
8
9. A. Lindblad
Racing Bulls
7
1:13.895
12
9
1:13.548
8
9
1:13.280
8
10. F. Colapinto
Alpine
13
1:14.466
10
10
1:13.857
9
10
1:13.697
8
11. N. Hülkenberg
Audi
14
1:14.562
11
11
1:13.886
10
12. L. Lawson
Racing Bulls
11
1:14.346
12
12
1:13.897
10
13. G. Bortoleto
Audi
16
1:14.775
12
13
1:14.071
10
14. P. Gasly
Alpine
15
1:14.698
10
14
1:14.187
10
15. C. Sainz
Williams
10
1:14.276
12
15
1:14.273
9
16. O. Berman
Haas
12
1:14.449
12
16
1:14.416
10
17. E. Ocon
Haas
17
1:14.845
12
18. A. Albon
Williams
18
1:14.851
13
19. F. Alonso
Aston Martin
19
1:15.196
11
20. S. Pérez
Cadillac
20
1:15.429
11
21. L. Stroll
Aston Martin
21
1:16.195
10
22. V. Bottas
Cadillac
22
1:16.272
10
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