George Russell secured pole position during the qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix. On Saturday, he held off Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli in a thrilling duel. Max Verstappen starts the race on Sunday at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal from sixth place after a difficult session.
Read more Kimi Antonelli narrowly misses out on pole GP Canada: ‘Still fairly satisfied’
Q1: Verstappen narrowly escapes
Max Verstappen predicted after the sprint qualifying on Friday that there would be a chance for Red Bull to make some adjustments to the RB22 after the sprint race. Already in Q1 it can become clear what has been changed and what consequences that has. And the Dutchman is off to a good start immediately. However, Antonelli quickly takes the initiative, ahead of the surprisingly fast duo Hadjar and Lindblad. They are in P2 and P3 halfway through the first part.
Verstappen is then sixth, while Charles Leclerc is struggling to set a fast lap. The question is also what McLaren can do: Lando Norris already shows speed, climbing to second place with four minutes remaining. Shortly after, teammate Oscar Piastri also enters the top three.
In the always exciting final phase of Q1, Verstappen is in the pits, now down to P9. However, he narrowly escapes. That does not apply to Valtteri Bottas, who finishes last in the Cadillac. Right in front of him, Sergio Pérez, Fernando Alonso, Alex Albon, and Esteban Ocon also fall out in Q1. Antonelli advances fastest to the second part of the session.
Q2: Hadjar is surprisingly fast
In the second part of qualifying, the battle for the last spots in the top 10 is expected to be exciting. The first blow is worth a lot, and Norris proves that. He quickly sets a fast time, just ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the Ferrari. Remarkably: Leclerc is initially slower than Franco Colapinto. Antonelli then takes the lead with eight minutes to go.
Read more Verstappen drove in no man’s land during Canada sprint race: ‘Car felt bad’
And Verstappen? At that moment, he drives to fifth place, but more surprising is the P2 (initially) of teammate Isack Hadjar. The Dutchman soon reports problems with the front of the car; the tire temperature is not what he wants. Through seventh place, Verstappen still ‘just’ advances to Q3, as does Franco Colapinto in the Alpine (tenth).
Russell and Leclerc also qualify for Q3, despite an initially difficult second part of the session. For Hadjar, Q2 is a perfect exercise: he even sets the fastest time. Exit from P11: Nico Hülkenberg, Liam Lawson, Gabriel Bortoleto, Carlos Sainz, and Oliver Bearman.
Q3: Mercedes disappoints, Verstappen restores order
On to the battle for pole! Will George Russell follow up on himself, will Isack Hadjar pull off a stunt? And are the problems with Verstappen’s front tires resolved? The game is on. The Dutchman sets the tone in the opening phase, but his fastest time is improved by Norris, Hamilton, and Piastri. Mercedes drivers Antonelli and Russell surprisingly disappoint in their first run (respectively fourth and an aborted lap).
In the second run, Verstappen again expresses dissatisfaction with the car over the radio; he only manages P6. In the battle for pole, Russell surprisingly comes out on top. He secures pole position for the third year in a row, Antonelli just falls short and is second. Norris, Piastri, Hamilton, Verstappen, Hadjar, Leclerc, Lindblad, and Colapinto follow. Thus ends an exciting qualifying, with a great duel for the win ahead.
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