George Russell started a crucial weekend by pipping Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli to sprint race pole at the Canadian Grand Prix. The Italian teenager has won the last three races to turn the tables on his experienced teammate and held 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. That has heightened the pressure on the British driver to deliver this weekend and he started that mission in positive fashion by edging out his team-mate by 0.068 seconds.
Russell Open to Verstappen Partnership
Russell insists he would be open to a potential powderkeg partnership with Verstappen. The pair are not friends, having clashed on and off the track over the last couple of years, with Russell even branding the Dutchman a "bully" on one occasion.
Ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, Russell was asked if he would be interested in racing in the Nurburgring 24 Hours, as Verstappen did last weekend in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 car. "Yeah, definitely one day," said Russell, who was then asked if he could see himself teaming up with Verstappen in the endurance race, which sees multiple drivers share one car.
Despite their stormy history, he said: "Never say never. Who knows? Max is obviously one of the best. I was asked a lot last year about being teammates with him, but more in Formula 1 rather than sharing a seat. I'm up for it and would relish the opportunity to always go against the best, and that's how I felt when I was team-mates with Lewis [Hamilton], and still how I feel about Max. As any driver, you want to go head-to-head with the best."
Verstappen Changes His Tune
Verstappen hinted that proposed changes to engine regulations for 2027 are likely to keep him in F1. The Red Bull driver has been the fiercest critic of the sport's new rules, which see a 50-50 split between electrical and internal combustion engine power, even suggesting he may walk away from the pinnacle of world motorsport.
An agreement in principle has been reached, which will tip the balance in favour of the ICE for 2027, although it needs to be rubber-stamped. Speaking in Montreal, Verstappen said he was happy with the changes and that they would help his enjoyment.
He said: "It's definitely heading into a positive direction. I think it is the minimum I was hoping for and it is really nice that that is what they want to do. I just want a good product in F1, and that will for sure improve the product. [My future] was also depending on the future rules, right? So the changes hopefully that will happen will help a lot. I said before it does not matter if I have a good car or not, it's just the product and I think the product will improve like that."
