George Russell seized Sprint pole for the Canadian Grand Prix on Friday, edging Mercedes team-mate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli by 0.068s in a tense SQ3 shootout at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The result delivered a Mercedes one-two after the team’s latest upgrades appeared to sharpen their pace, with McLaren’s Lando Norris third and Oscar Piastri fourth.
"This feels great after a tough Miami but I never doubted myself. I know what I can do. Miami is unique but this is an amazing circuit with high grip," said Russell. "It feels you are driving a proper F1 car around here, which is how it should be. It came together"
Russell arrived in Montreal 20 points behind Antonelli after the Italian teenager’s run of three consecutive Grand Prix victories. Historically strong at this venue, he converted pole into victory here last year and set the tone again by building through the sessions.
Antonelli topped the sole practice, but Russell hit the front in SQ2 and then laid down a 1:12.965 in SQ3 as the dusty track continued to evolve. Antonelli was the last to cross the line and produced a purple final sector, but ultimately fell just short of his team-mate.
McLaren locked out row two. Norris recovered from a mistake earlier in SQ3 to grab third from Piastri, though both were over three tenths off Russell’s benchmark. "I think it's a fair margin considering they [Mercedes] had important upgrades here," McLaren team principal Andrea Stella told Sky Sports F1 . "We also had some upgrades. We actually wanted to take a bit more time to see the behaviour of the front wing, so we raced with the previous front wing. "So, looking at the fact that the car is pretty much the Miami car, it's a gap that remains encouraging."
Lewis Hamilton led SQ1 and was second in SQ2, but was overhauled by the McLarens on the final runs and will start fifth, ahead of Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc in sixth. Hamilton revealed he did not test the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on the simulator and, in a competitive session, beat Leclerc on track for the first time since the second round in China.
Red Bull completed the top eight, with Max Verstappen seventh and Isack Hadjar eighth.
Britain’s Arvid Lindblad took ninth for Racing Bulls on his first competitive outing in Montreal, while Williams’ Carlos Sainz completed the top 10. Sainz’s team-mate Alex Albon did not take part in Sprint Qualifying after hitting a groundhog during practice earlier on Friday.
There was early drama in SQ1 when Fernando Alonso crashed at Turn 3, triggering a red flag and briefly halting proceedings before the final segments played out under improving conditions.
The Sprint takes place on Saturday, with Grand Prix qualifying to follow later in the day. All eyes will be on whether Mercedes can convert their one-lap advantage into Sprint points, and if McLaren and Ferrari can close the gap as the weekend progresses.
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*Originally published on [News Formula One](https://newsformula.one/article/russell-edges-antonelli-to-canada-sprint-pole-norris-third). Visit for full coverage.*
