In Montreal, McLaren was unexpectedly outperformed by George Russell, who completed a spectacular lap to defeat Max Verstappen and secure pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix.
With a time of 1:10.899, Russell topped Verstappen’s effort from a few seconds earlier by 0.160 seconds, securing pole position at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for the second year in a row. Mercedes had guaranteed Russell this performance for much of practice.
In contrast to his McLaren teammate and closest rival for the championship, Lando Norris, who seemed to be the favorite for pole position before an error-plagued Q3 left the Brit ninth, Oscar Piastri, the leader of the world championship, finished third despite his strong performance.
Mercedes’ remarkable pace at the circuit was highlighted by Kimi Antonelli, who passed Lewis Hamilton to fourth place. Ferrari, which had looked competitive in final practice earlier on Saturday, once again failed to deliver.
Carlos Sainz seems to be hampered by Isack Hadjar in Q1.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso finished sixth, while Charles Leclerc, who was furious after making a mistake on his pivotal flying lap effort in Q3, qualified eighth.
Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar finished ninth, although he is likely expected to be given a grid penalty for obstructing the path that caused Carlos Sainz of Williams to be eliminated in the first qualifying round. Alex Albon, a Williams teammate of the Spaniard, completed the top 10.
Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Yuki Tsunoda qualified 11th but will start from the back of the grid after receiving a 10-place grid penalty for a red-flag infringement in final practice.
Sky Sports F1’s Canadian GP schedule
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