MONTREAL — Mercedes driver George Russell secured pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix, setting up a dramatic front row battle by narrowly beating rival Max Verstappen.
Russell clinched pole right at the very end of qualifying, just edging out the four-time world champion`s fastest lap by 0.16 seconds.
Upon hearing he had taken pole, a lengthy bleeped radio message was broadcast, followed by his excited shout: `Come on!`
Verstappen had momentarily held the top position, after edging out championship leader Oscar Piastri moments earlier.
Russell`s qualifying performance means he will start ahead of Verstappen, just two weeks after their incident at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, where Verstappen collided with Russell`s car in a move he later confessed `was not right.`
This collision brought Verstappen close to a one-race ban, increasing his penalty points tally to 11, just one point shy of the threshold for a suspension.
`Today was awesome!` Russell commented. `That final lap felt like one of the most thrilling of my career, as I watched the delta on my steering wheel showing I was a tenth quicker through every corner.`
`As I approached the final corner, I was six-tenths ahead and thought, `This lap is incredible.` Seeing P1 appear after crossing the finish line was a genuine surprise, but I was absolutely delighted.`
When questioned about starting alongside Verstappen on Sunday, Russell lightheartedly remarked: `I have a few more penalty points available on my license to use. We`ll see.`
This late-session effort secured Russell`s sixth career pole position. The last time he started from pole, at last year`s Las Vegas Grand Prix, he went on to win.
The outcome promises a thrilling start to Sunday`s race, featuring a short sprint to Turn 1 on a circuit renowned for producing exciting, close-quarters battles.
Verstappen commented after the session: `I felt pretty good throughout the weekend. The car was performing well. You need to be efficient on the straights, which we generally are, so overall I`m quite satisfied with qualifying. The car was working effectively again.`
`The difficult decision was which tires to use. But I believe we made the correct choice [by opting for the medium compound].`
Piastri secured third place, while his McLaren teammate and title contender Lando Norris qualified in a less impressive seventh position.
Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, alongside former world champions Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, will occupy the grid positions separating the two McLaren drivers.
Isack Hadjar initially qualified ninth but will drop to 12th due to a three-place grid penalty from the stewards for obstructing Carlos Sainz. This promotes Alex Albon to ninth and Franco Colapinto into the top 10.
Yuki Tsunoda also incurred a 10-place grid penalty for overtaking under red flags during Friday`s practice session and will start from the back of the grid.
