George Russell delivered a strong comeback performance on Friday by securing pole position for Saturday’s sprint race at the Canadian Grand Prix, ahead of championship leader and Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli.
The 28-year-old Briton had earlier been outpaced by the Italian teenager, who is chasing a fourth consecutive Grand Prix victory on Sunday. However, Russell responded with pace and composure under pressure.
He set the fastest lap of 1:12.965, edging Antonelli by just 0.068 seconds in a closely contested session that was extended due to a lengthy red flag after a crash involving two-time champion Fernando Alonso in his Aston Martin.
Russell said he was pleased with the result after a challenging outing in Miami, adding that he never doubted his ability.
“I knew what I could do. Miami was a bit unique, but it’s high grip here and it feels like you’re driving a proper F1 car, which is how it should be,” he said.
He also praised Mercedes’ upgrades, noting improved performance and close competition from McLaren and Ferrari.
Antonelli admitted his lap was not clean, saying he made mistakes due to insufficient tyre preparation, but promised improvements for the next session.
McLaren’s Lando Norris secured third place, ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri, while Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc followed in fifth and sixth.
Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar placed seventh and eighth for Red Bull and Racing Bulls respectively, with Arvid Lindblad ninth and Carlos Sainz completing the top ten for Williams.
The session began in warm conditions, with early pace set by Hamilton, Leclerc, Norris, Russell, and Verstappen before Antonelli briefly moved ahead.
A red flag was triggered after Alonso locked up and crashed at Turn Three, halting the session for around 20 minutes.
Alonso later said he was “a passenger” after the lock-up, adding there was no space to avoid impact.
Only 20 cars took part in the session, with Williams’ Alex Albon out after a crash in practice and Liam Lawson sidelined due to gearbox issues.
After the restart, several drivers were unable to improve due to limited time, leading to eliminations including Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas, Lance Stroll and Pierre Gasly.
In SQ2, Russell and Antonelli again showed strong pace, with Russell eventually moving clear at the top ahead of Hamilton and Norris.
SQ3 saw Russell seal pole on his final run, improving his time to secure the front row for Mercedes alongside Antonelli, ahead of McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull drivers.
