Russell grabs – George Russell stunned Mercedes with a pole position in a rain-threatened Canadian Grand Prix qualifying, beating teammate Kimi Antonelli by just 0.068 seconds at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. After wobbles and rear-end concerns earlier in the session, Russell pr
The last lap arrived like an interruption—then turned into a rescue. George Russell was on the wrong side of his own qualifying earlier in the session. struggling as qualifying played out under a rain-threatened horizon at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. But by the death, he roared through and took pole position for Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix.
Russell had to fight for it. He wobbled and struggled throughout qualifying, an unexpected twist given Mercedes’ dominance across the weekend. Yet when it mattered, he supplanted his teammate Kimi Antonelli to top the grid for the race. The margin was razor-thin: 0.068 seconds separated them. the same gap that Russell had used to pip Antonelli in sprint qualifying on Friday.
That kind of repeat precision is exactly what makes Montreal feel like a familiar battlefield for Russell. It was his third successive pole at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The Briton won here last year, and he believes he can repeat the result despite the forecast turning the screws. He also knows there’s more than silverware at stake. He hopes to narrow his deficit to championship leader Antonelli, who currently leads by 18 points.
Russell’s day wasn’t smooth until it was. Over the radio, he described the feeling of the turnaround: “The last lap came from nowhere.” He added, “It is the most exhilarating feeling to come from nowhere to take pole.”
He also explained why the session had felt so unstable. “We made some changes to the car in light of the expected rain coming tomorrow,” Russell said. “It put us out of sync. It was a challenge, but I managed to redial my driving on the final lap.”
There was another complication built into the schedule: qualifying after the sprint carried a change of requirement. and Russell acknowledged it isn’t easy. “It is never easy to go to qualifying after the sprint, a change of requirement,” he said. Still, he insisted the end result made the work feel worth it: “But this is such a special feeling. It just came together.”.
Earlier still, the contrast was stark. Russell was lying fifth and complaining about his lack of rear end when he set off for his final tilt. That last push was described as faultless, capping a revival after three win-free races had gone Antonelli’s way.
With rain threatening again, the grid behind the Mercedes pair also set the stage for a tense Sunday. Lando Norris was third quickest in an improving McLaren, with Oscar Piastri fourth. Lewis Hamilton completed the top five for Ferrari.
All the pieces fit together in the most Montreal way possible: Russell’s late dial-in. the closeness to Antonelli that mirrors Friday’s sprint result. and Mercedes’ weekend dominance suddenly made fragile by a final-lap swing. For Sunday. that fragility comes with weather in the background and a championship deficit that Russell is determined to chip away.
George Russell Kimi Antonelli Canadian Grand Prix Montreal Circuit Gilles Villeneuve pole position rain-threatened race Mercedes Lando Norris Oscar Piastri Lewis Hamilton
Rain always messes with everything I guess.
0.068 seconds?? That’s basically nothing, like my dog running past me. So they’re saying he “wobbled” and still got pole… kinda wild. Montreal really be ruthless.
Wait so Antonelli is leading by 18 points but Russell still got pole so does that mean Antonelli’s done? Like pole is the most important thing right? Also the article says he was on the wrong side earlier which makes it sound like he accidentally started in the wrong place or something lol.
Mercedes dominance across the weekend but then he’s “out of sync” because they changed the car for rain tomorrow? That seems backwards. If the last lap came from nowhere, does that mean they had no clue how to drive until the end?? I swear qualifying is always chaos until it suddenly isn’t. Also 3rd straight pole at that track… congrats I guess but the forecast could flip the whole race.