Sprint Qualifying complete. George Russell takes sprint pole!
George Russell takes sprint pole position in Montreal! The Brit clocked a 1:12.965 to beat teammate Antonelli by 0.068 seconds, ending his recent scrappy run with a statement lap. McLaren locked out the second row with Norris and Piastri, while Ferrari’s Hamilton and Leclerc took P5 and P6.
It was a chaotic day with four red flags across practice and sprint qualifying. Both Albon and Lawson did not take part after their cars could not be repaired following FP1 incidents, and Alonso crashed out in SQ1 to add to the drama.
⏱ Sprint Qualifying Start Times
Central Europe
22:30 CEST
UTC+2
Abu Dhabi
00:30 GST
UTC+4 (Sat)
Tokyo
05:30 JST
UTC+9 (Sat)
Sydney
06:30 AEST
UTC+10 (Sat)
SQ1 was red flagged after Fernando Alonso crashed into the wall, a rare mistake from the two time champion that made it four red flags across the day in Montreal. Both Alex Albon and Liam Lawson did not take part after their cars could not be repaired in time following the FP1 incidents. With only 20 runners, just four timed drivers were eliminted.
RED FLAGFernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
Crashed into the wall during SQ1. A rare error from the veteran. The fourth red flag of the day at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Alonso still set a time before the incident.
Eliminated in SQ1
17 Perez Cadillac +2.113
18 Stroll Aston Martin +2.465
19 Gasly Alpine +2.753
20 Bottas Cadillac +2.977
– Albon Williams No Time (FP1 damage)
– Lawson Racing Bulls No Time (FP1 damage)
Both Audi drivers eliminated, both Haas cars out, and Alonso did not set a time after his SQ1 crash. Colapinto also drops out here for Alpine. The top 10 shootout will be all Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull plus Lindblad and Sainz.
Eliminated in SQ2
11 Hulkenberg Audi +1.569
12 Bortoleto Audi +1.601
13 Colapinto Alpine +1.676
14 Ocon Haas +1.902
15 Bearman Haas +2.279
16 Alonso Aston Martin No Time (SQ1 crash)
Russell nails it! The Brit needed a clean session after his wall tap in FP1 and he delivered. A 1:12.965, nearly seven tenths quicker then Antonelli’s FP1 best. Mercedes lock out the front row again, but this time it’s Russell on top. McLaren right behind them, with Norris just 0.315 off pole. Verstappen could only manage P7, over half a second off the pace.
SQ3 Results · Sprint Qualifying · Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
1 Russell Mercedes 1:12.965
2 Antonelli Mercedes +0.068
3 Norris McLaren +0.315
4 Piastri McLaren +0.334
5 Hamilton Ferrari +0.361
6 Leclerc Ferrari +0.445
7 Verstappen Red Bull +0.539
8 Hadjar Red Bull +0.640
9 Lindblad Racing Bulls +0.772
10 Sainz Williams +1.571
Full Sprint Starting Grid
2026 Canadian GP Sprint · Saturday May 23 · 23 Laps
1 Russell Mercedes 1:12.965
2 Antonelli Mercedes +0.068
3 Norris McLaren +0.315
4 Piastri McLaren +0.334
5 Hamilton Ferrari +0.361
6 Leclerc Ferrari +0.445
7 Verstappen Red Bull +0.539
8 Hadjar Red Bull +0.640
9 Lindblad Racing Bulls +0.772
10 Sainz Williams +1.571
11 Hulkenberg Audi SQ2
12 Bortoleto Audi SQ2
13 Colapinto Alpine SQ2
14 Ocon Haas SQ2
15 Bearman Haas SQ2
16 Alonso Aston Martin SQ1
17 Perez Cadillac SQ1
18 Stroll Aston Martin SQ1
19 Gasly Alpine SQ1
20 Bottas Cadillac SQ1
21 Albon Williams No Time
22 Lawson Racing Bulls No Time
What Happend in FP1
RED FLAG 1Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
Car stopped on track 10 minutes into the session with a suspected hydraulic failure. CDS (Clutch Disengagement System) was not working, triggering a stewards investigation for breach of Article C9.3. Potential grid penalty incoming.
RED FLAG 2Alex Albon (Williams)
Hit a groundhog (marmot) exiting Turn 6-7, which sent the car into the wall. Extensive damage to the left side and rear. Session extended by 15 minutes. World feed did not show the replay. RIP little guy.
RED FLAG 3Esteban Ocon (Haas)
Spun into the wall at Turn 4/5 after the rear snapped over the exit kerbs. Front wing ripped clean off. Also noted for leaving pit exit under the red light. Possibly more of a car issue then driver error.
FP1 Top 10
Practice 1 Results · Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
1 ANT Mercedes 1:13.402
2 RUS Mercedes +0.142
3 HAM Ferrari +0.774
4 LEC Ferrari +0.953
5 VER Red Bull +0.964
6 NOR McLaren +1.397
7 PIA McLaren +1.561
8 LIN Racing Bulls +2.050
9 HUL Haas +2.296
10 ALO Aston Martin +2.461
George Russell also had a moment, spinning at Turn 2 and tapping the wall. Soft contact, but it killed his tyres and ended his running. He was extremly lucky it wasn’t worse. The good news is the Mercedes upgrades clearly work, he closed the gap to just 0.142 seconds behind Antonelli.
What to Watch in Sprint Qualifying
🏎️
Mercedes Dominance
Antonelli was nearly half a second clear of Russell. The W17 upgrades are clearly working. Can anyone get close?
⚠️
Lawson’s Penalty
Stewards investigation pending for the CDS failure. A grid penalty would be a massive blow on a sprint weekend.
🔧
Williams Couldn’t Make It
Albon’s FW48 could not be repaired in time. Williams confirmed the damage from the groundhog crash was too extensive. He starts last.
📉
Russell Answers Back
From wall tap in practice to sprint pole. Russell silenced the doubters with a 1:12.965, beating Antonelli by 0.068s. Huge boost for his weekend.
The sprint race runs for 23 laps around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve tommorow (Saturday). Points are awarded to the top eight finishers. Russell will be looking to convert pole into a win and close the gap to Antonelli in the championship.
What a day in Montreal. Four red flags, a groundhog, a broken CDS, an Alonso crash, and Russell answering every critic with a statement pole position. This sport never gets boring.
