Russell wins – George Russell grabbed pole for Saturday’s sprint race at the Canadian Grand Prix, beating Mercedes teammate and points leader Kimi Antonelli to secure a front-row one-two. Russell’s qualifying lap of 1:12.965 came as Mercedes introduced new upgrades in Montre
George Russell moved to the front of the Montreal grid in a hurry on Friday, posting a lap of 1 minute 12.965 seconds to win pole for Saturday’s sprint race at the Canadian Grand Prix.
The result delivered immediate reward for Mercedes: Russell beat teammate and Formula One points leader Kimi Antonelli by 0.068 seconds to set up a one-two on the starting grid for a sprint that runs for roughly 100 kilometres—about one-third the distance of a grand prix.
Russell’s pole also carried extra weight in the city where he has already tasted victory. He was last year’s race winner in Montreal, and now he starts sprint day with momentum again, this time helped by new upgrades Mercedes brought to the weekend.
Antonelli will line up alongside him in the front row, with the top of the field rounded out by Lando Norris and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. Norris will be third on the grid, and Piastri will start on the second row.
Further back, Ferrari will have Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in fifth and sixth. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar will start seventh and eighth.
The sprint format remains the same: introduced in 2021, it offers a maximum of eight points. A grand prix victory is worth 25, making these short races feel like a separate contest—one where position can matter just as much as outright pace.
Before qualifying even had time to settle, the weekend was jolted by an incident in practice. Williams’ Alex Albon crashed into a groundhog on the exit of Turn 7. suffering significant damage to his car and forcing him out of sprint qualifying. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve—on Île Notre-Dame in the middle of the St. Lawrence River—is well known for wildlife, especially groundhogs, and the day’s disruption echoed that reputation.
For context. Mercedes are entering the sprint with a striking record: they are winners of all four grands prix this season. At the same time, the drivers’ championship picture is still led by Antonelli. The 19-year-old Italian has won three straight grand prix races, sitting on 100 points and 20 ahead of Russell.
Lewis Hamilton’s weekend already carries its own echo of animal encounters. The seven-time world champion also hit a groundhog last year during the grand prix, calling the moment “devastating.”
F1 Canadian Grand Prix sprint race pole position George Russell Kimi Antonelli Mercedes Lando Norris Oscar Piastri Lewis Hamilton Charles Leclerc Max Verstappen Isack Hadjar Alex Albon Circuit Gilles Villeneuve