RUSSELL TAKES POLE IN CANADA IN BRILLIANT STYLE
After winning the Sprint race, George Russell also secured pole position for Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver surprised everyone in the final moments of qualifying, beating teammate Kimi Antonelli once again.
Antonelli will now try to challenge Russell again into Turn 1 after the tension already seen between the two in the Sprint. McLaren confirmed itself as the second strongest team ahead of Ferrari, locking out the second row with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Lewis Hamilton qualified fifth, around three tenths behind pole, while Charles Leclerc had a difficult session and will start only eighth behind both Red Bulls.
The first part of qualifying confirmed Mercedes’ strong pace seen throughout the weekend. Most drivers began Q1 on used soft tyres, but Antonelli immediately stood out, setting a very fast lap and finishing more than half a second ahead of Russell on the same tyres.
McLaren stayed close to Mercedes, while Ferrari struggled more. During the session, Leclerc reported possible damage to his car after apparently hitting a marmot on track, similar to the incident Alex Albon suffered earlier in the weekend.
In the end, both Ferraris safely reached Q2, although they remained several tenths away from the leaders. Drivers eliminated in Q1 included Esteban Ocon, Alex Albon, Fernando Alonso, Sergio Perez, Lance Stroll, and Valtteri Bottas.
In Q2, Antonelli continued to show excellent speed and once again set the fastest provisional lap. Norris stayed close behind, only a few hundredths away. Leclerc, however, struggled badly and found himself near elimination after his first attempt.
The Ferrari driver complained over the radio about poor preparation before the lap and admitted he felt completely out of rhythm. Russell also had difficulties early in the session and needed a strong final lap to secure his place in Q3.
While Russell improved significantly, Leclerc could only manage eighth place and asked his team for cleaner track position in the final session. Isack Hadjar surprisingly ended Q2 fastest, ahead of Hamilton, who once again looked more comfortable than his teammate. Eliminated in Q2 were Nico Hulkenberg, Liam Lawson, Gabriel Bortoleto, Pierre Gasly, Carlos Sainz, and Oliver Bearman.
The final part of qualifying produced more drama. Surprisingly, Mercedes was not fastest after the first attempts, as Russell aborted his lap and Antonelli could only manage fourth place behind Norris, Hamilton, and Piastri.
In the closing minutes, Russell made two final attempts with extra fuel onboard and delivered a stunning lap of 1:12.578, securing his third consecutive pole position in Canada. He beat Antonelli by just 68 thousandths of a second.
McLaren confirmed its strong pace with Norris third and Piastri fourth. Hamilton placed fifth for Ferrari, less than three tenths from pole, while Leclerc continued to struggle and ended only eighth. Verstappen and Hadjar qualified ahead of him for Red Bull, while Lindblad and Colapinto completed the top ten.
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