George Russell left it late in Montreal, but when the moment came, he delivered. With the crowd on their feet and Max Verstappen’s name pencilled in for pole, the Mercedes driver lit up the timing screens with a lap that came from nowhere — 1:10.899 on the C5 mediums. Pole position. Again. In Canada.
Verstappen had looked calm and quick all session, even on the same tyre, but Russell found something extra. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was there too, trading blows up front before settling for third — his soft tyres not quite enough when it counted.
Behind them, it was a big result for Mercedes. Kimi Antonelli wasn’t far off, locking out the second row. Hamilton followed in fifth for Ferrari, Alonso was tidy as ever in sixth, while Norris couldn’t tidy up his own Q3 and ended up seventh. Leclerc didn’t hook it up either — eighth. Isack Hadjar put his Racing Bulls into ninth, but he might lose it depending on what the stewards make of his moment with Sainz back in Q1. And rounding it out, Alex Albon, engine cover mishap and all, was back in the top 10.
Q1 – Red flags, close calls, and a home heartbreak
The field rolled out under clear skies, with strategy talk already buzzing around the paddock. Softs were expected to dominate, but Russell had done damage on mediums in FP2 — enough to tempt others into trying something different.
Sainz was the first man on track. Alpine, Alonso, and Antonelli joined him on mediums, while the rest went soft. Verstappen stayed in the garage for the first few minutes but wasted no time once he joined, immediately going quickest.
Then, just as things started heating up, the session was stopped. Albon’s engine cover had sheared off on the straight, leaving carbon fibre strewn down the track. Before that, both Williams drivers were in the bottom five — a far cry from their solid Friday pace.
With just over five minutes to go, everything was on the line. Norris went top with a 1:11.826. Piastri was right there too. Bearman, Ocon and Hulkenberg all pulled themselves out of danger. Sainz, though, couldn’t recover after a wide moment and was left visibly frustrated — particularly after being held up by Hadjar. The stewards will look into that post-session.
Bortoleto missed Q2 by one place. Stroll, in front of his home fans, bowed out in 18th. Lawson and Gasly brought up the rear.
Knocked out were : Bortoleto, Sainz, Stroll, Lawson, Gasly
Q2 – Mediums, mind games, and more penalties
Verstappen was first out in Q2 — mediums bolted on. Most others stayed on softs. Still, the Red Bull man delivered a 1:11.638 that held for a while.
Piastri and Norris followed closely. Ferrari were in the mix too. But Russell had other ideas. His second flyer, again on the medium compound, was clean, fast, and just enough: 1:11.570. Back on top.
At the other end, Tsunoda’s run ended in P11, but the Red Bull driver was already destined for the back. A 10-place grid drop awaited him after his red flag infringement in FP3. Colapinto impressed in 12th — his best showing since returning to the grid. Hulkenberg couldn’t find the time, and both Haas drivers — Bearman and Ocon — dropped out too.
Ocon may yet face a post-session penalty of his own after failing to follow race director instructions at pit exit.
Knocked out were : Tsunoda, Colapinto, Hulkenberg, Bearman, Ocon
Q3 – All or nothing, and Russell went all in
Things started scrappy. Norris hit the kerbs too hard and blew his first lap. Track limits. Deleted. Piastri was cleaner — he went quickest early on, only to be pipped immediately by Verstappen. A 1:11.248. Just enough.
Russell, meanwhile, sat in third after the first runs. Not perfect. But that second push — on a tyre others weren’t brave enough to use — was where it clicked.
Sector by sector, the delta kept going green.
“I saw every corner I was one-tenth up… by the last one I knew it was mighty,” Russell said. “I crossed the line and saw P1. I was so chuffed.”
Behind him, Antonelli kept it tidy for fourth. Hamilton couldn’t extract more from the SF25 than fifth. Alonso looked solid in sixth. But Norris and Leclerc will be kicking themselves. The McLaren looked a match for pole earlier in the day, but seventh’s all he could salvage. Leclerc made a mistake in Sector 2 and parked it in eighth.
Hadjar? Ninth for now, but the stewards might not let that stand. Albon took tenth, bouncing back from what should’ve ended his day in Q1.
George Russell
“That last lap was probably one of the most exhilarating laps of my life… Seeing P1 was a real surprise, but I was so chuffed with it.”
Stewards make call
Isack Hadjar was found to be guilty of blocking Carlos on a fast lap and has been given a three place grid penalty for the Grand Prix.
