George Russell narrowly beats Max Verstappen to secure pole position in an intense qualifying session at the Canadian Grand Prix

It was a thrilling qualifying session at the Canadian Grand Prix, with Mercedes claiming their first pole of the season. George Russell made a significant impact by securing pole position from Max Verstappen, despite both drivers setting identical lap times. This marked Russell’s second career pole in Formula 1 and Mercedes’ first since the Hungarian Grand Prix of the previous year.

Lando Norris impressed by clinching third place, just 0.021s away from pole, while Lewis Hamilton settled for seventh after showing great speed in final practice. The qualifying session also saw surprises, with both Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz being knocked out in Q2, and Sergio Perez being eliminated in Q1.

The competitive nature of the session was evident, with Daniel Ricciardo securing his best qualifying of the season in fifth place. Yuki Tsunoda, confirmed to stay at Red Bull Racing until 2025, took eighth place, while home driver Lance Stroll and Williams’ Alex Albon completed the top ten.

It was a close call for Verstappen in Q2 due to light rain making it challenging to generate tyre temperature, but he managed to secure a front-row spot. Hamilton, initially second before the final Q3 runs, was pushed down by Verstappen and the McLarens of Norris and Piastri, as well as Ricciardo and Alonso. The seven-time world champion was just 0.280s off pole position, highlighting the tight competition during qualifying.

Ferrari, expected to be slight favourites at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, faced challenges as both Leclerc and Sainz were bumped out in Q2. Grip issues were apparent, possibly exacerbated by light rain during the session. The decision to use used tyres for the final Q2 runs may have been a strategic misstep for Ferrari. Red Bull’s Perez also faced unexpected difficulties and was eliminated in Q1, starting the race in 16th position despite signing a new two-year deal to remain with Red Bull until the end of 2026.

Canadian GP Qualifying Timesheet

Driver	Team	Time
1) George Russell	Mercedes	1:12.000
2) Max Verstappen	Red Bull	+0.000
3) Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.021
4) Oscar Piastri	McLaren	+0.103
5) Daniel Ricciardo	RB	+0.178
6) Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	+0.228
7) Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.280
8) Yuki Tsunoda	RB	+0.414
9) Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+0.701
10) Alex Albon	Williams	+0.796
Knocked out in Q2
11) Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:12.691
12) Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	1:12.728
13) Logan Sargeant	Williams	1:12.736
14) Kevin Magnussen	Haas	1:12.916
15) Pierre Gasly	Alpine	1:12.940
Knocked out in Q1
16) Sergio Perez	Red Bull	1:13.326
17) Valtteri Bottas	Sauber	1:13.366
18) Esteban Ocon	Alpine	1:13.435
19) Nico Hulkenberg	Haas	1:13.978
20) Zhou Guanyu	Sauber	1:14.292