George Russell delivered a response to title challenger Kimi Antonelli by claiming pole for the Canadian Grand Prix sprint. The Italian has won the last three races to turn the tables on his experienced team-mate and hold a 20-point advantage heading into this fifth round of the season. Russell played down his deficit to the 19-year-old last time out in Miami by suggesting it was not a track he enjoyed but the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is – having claimed pole for the last two years and winning last season.
Russell Pips Antonelli to Pole
Russell pipped Antonelli to pole by just 0.068 seconds, with Lando Norris in third, three-tenths down. The top ten in sprint qualifying: 1. George Russell, 2. Kimi Antonelli, 3. Lando Norris, 4. Oscar Piastri, 5. Lewis Hamilton, 6. Charles Leclerc, 7. Max Verstappen, 8. Isack Hadjar, 9. Arvid Lindblad, 10. Carlos Sainz.
Russell's Reaction
After claiming pole, Russell said: "This is an amazing circuit, high grip, feels like you're driving a Formula 1 car. The team have done a great job to bring the upgrade forward, pleased to be back in P1, it's been a little while."
Sprint Qualifying Highlights
In SQ1, Russell set the early pace with a 1:13.194, 0.217 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton in second. The quickfire eight-minute top-10 shootout saw Russell maintain his provisional pole. Verstappen escaped in P9, complaining his car was "jumpy". Out in SQ2 were Hulkenberg, Bortoleto, Colapinto, Ocon, Bearman, and Alonso.
Full Starting Grid
The full starting grid for the sprint: 1. George Russell, 2. Kimi Antonelli, 3. Lando Norris, 4. Oscar Piastri, 5. Lewis Hamilton, 6. Charles Leclerc, 7. Max Verstappen, 8. Isack Hadjar, 9. Arvid Lindblad, 10. Carlos Sainz, 11. Nico Hulkenberg, 12. Gabriel Bortoleto, 13. Franco Colapinto, 14. Esteban Ocon, 15. Ollie Bearman, 16. Fernando Alonso, 17. Sergio Perez, 18. Lance Stroll, 19. Pierre Gasly, 20. Valtteri Bottas, 21. Alex Albon, 22. Liam Lawson.
