George Russell took pole for the sprint race in Montreal after an early threat from Lewis Hamilton faded and Max Verstappen flirted with elimination.
SQ1
Two drivers were absent from the opening qualifying session. Williams could not complete repairs to Alexander Albon’s car following his groundhog-induced crash in first practice; the left side, gearbox and power unit all required replacement. Liam Lawson also did not run after his car stopped in practice and the team could not restore the clutch disengagement system needed to move the car.
Track conditions were improving quickly in the second F1 session of the weekend. Lewis Hamilton set a 1’15.459 on his first attempt and soon improved to 1’13.889, initially topping the timesheets by a tenth of a second over Andrea Kimi Antonelli, with Max Verstappen only a hundredth behind.
With under two minutes remaining, Fernando Alonso locked up at turn three and ran into the barrier, ending his session. At the time he was 14th, which provisionally secured Aston Martin a place in Q2, even though Alonso could not continue.
The session was suspended for more than 15 minutes while marshals repaired the barrier at turn three. It resumed with 1:46 on the clock — theoretically enough time for a few drivers to complete an in-lap and start a flying lap.
Of the drivers in the bottom six, only Lance Stroll reached the start line in time to begin a lap; he could not improve and returned to the pits. Pierre Gasly, unusually down in 19th, passed several cars leaving the pits but also failed to set a time. The final laps did not change who progressed to Q2.
SQ1 result
| P. | # | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | SF-26 | 1’13.889 | |
| 2 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | W17 | 1’14.010 | 0.121 |
| 3 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Red Bull-Ford | RB22 | 1’14.028 | 0.139 |
| 4 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL40 | 1’14.265 | 0.376 |
| 5 | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls-Red Bull-Ford | 03 | 1’14.517 | 0.628 |
| 6 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull-Red Bull-Ford | RB22 | 1’14.541 | 0.652 |
| 7 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL40 | 1’14.665 | 0.776 |
| 8 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W17 | 1’14.772 | 0.883 |
| 9 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-26 | 1’15.006 | 1.117 |
| 10 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine-Mercedes | A526 | 1’15.484 | 1.595 |
| 11 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Williams-Mercedes | FW48 | 1’15.500 | 1.611 |
| 12 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | R26 | 1’15.673 | 1.784 |
| 13 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas-Ferrari | VF-26 | 1’15.760 | 1.871 |
| 14 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin-Honda | AMR26 | 1’15.760 | 1.871 |
| 15 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | R26 | 1’15.801 | 1.912 |
| 16 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas-Ferrari | VF-26 | 1’15.872 | 1.983 |
| 17 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac-Ferrari | MAC-26 | 1’16.002 | 2.113 |
| 18 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Honda | AMR26 | 1’16.354 | 2.465 |
| 19 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Mercedes | A526 | 1’16.642 | 2.753 |
| 20 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac-Ferrari | MAC-26 | 1’16.866 | 2.977 |
| 21 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | FW48 | No time | |
| 22 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls-Red Bull-Ford | 03 | No time |
SQ2
Hamilton put his Ferrari on top early in Q2, but Russell appeared to have extra pace in reserve. On his final run Russell significantly improved, putting four tenths on Hamilton and the rest of the field to lead into the final round.
Verstappen struggled to match his earlier progress. His first lap in Q2 was deleted for a track limits infringement, leaving him close to elimination. His final attempt produced a 1’14.412, almost four tenths slower than his Q1 time, leaving him ninth and behind his team mate.
A run of improvements from other drivers meant ninth was good enough to advance. The two Audis and Carlos Sainz Jnr secured the final spots in the top 10, with Nico Hulkenberg narrowly missing out. Along with the Audi pair and Alonso, both Haas drivers and Franco Colapinto were eliminated in this phase.
SQ2 result
| P. | # | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W17 | 1’13.026 | |
| 2 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | SF-26 | 1’13.465 | 0.439 |
| 3 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | W17 | 1’13.551 | 0.525 |
| 4 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-26 | 1’13.554 | 0.528 |
| 5 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL40 | 1’13.858 | 0.832 |
| 6 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL40 | 1’13.957 | 0.931 |
| 7 | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls-Red Bull-Ford | 03 | 1’14.140 | 1.114 |
| 8 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull-Red Bull-Ford | RB22 | 1’14.239 | 1.213 |
| 9 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Red Bull-Ford | RB22 | 1’14.412 | 1.386 |
| 10 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Williams-Mercedes | FW48 | 1’14.547 | 1.521 |
| 11 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | R26 | 1’14.595 | 1.569 |
| 12 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | R26 | 1’14.627 | 1.601 |
| 13 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine-Mercedes | A526 | 1’14.702 | 1.676 |
| 14 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas-Ferrari | VF-26 | 1’14.928 | 1.902 |
| 15 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas-Ferrari | VF-26 | 1’15.305 | 2.279 |
| 16 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin-Honda | AMR26 | No time |
SQ3
For the final round the drivers switched to soft tyres. Hamilton aborted his first lap after getting crossed up exiting turn two, but he eventually posted a time only five hundredths faster than his Q2 effort. Verstappen began less than a tenth behind him.
Russell’s first run was not as quick as his best Q2 lap, but it kept him at the top even after Antonelli set his time. Several drivers improved on a second run; Hamilton and Verstappen were not among them and slipped down the order when Lando Norris, who made a mistake on his first attempt, produced a 1’13.280.
Russell then lowered the benchmark, breaking the 73-second barrier with a 1’12.965. Oscar Piastri moved into third behind Norris, leaving championship leader Antonelli as the only driver able to challenge Russell on his final run. Antonelli came close with a 1’13.033 but fell short, securing an all-Mercedes front row for the sprint. The next three rows consisted of cars from different teams: McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull featured prominently across the grid.
SQ3 result
| P. | # | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W17 | 1’12.965 | |
| 2 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | W17 | 1’13.033 | 0.068 |
| 3 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL40 | 1’13.280 | 0.315 |
| 4 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL40 | 1’13.299 | 0.334 |
| 5 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | SF-26 | 1’13.326 | 0.361 |
| 6 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-26 | 1’13.410 | 0.445 |
| 7 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Red Bull-Ford | RB22 | 1’13.504 | 0.539 |
| 8 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull-Red Bull-Ford | RB22 | 1’13.605 | 0.640 |
| 9 | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls-Red Bull-Ford | 03 | 1’13.737 | 0.772 |
| 10 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Williams-Mercedes | FW48 | 1’14.536 | 1.571 |
2026 Canadian Grand Prix
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- 2026 Canadian Grand Prix sprint race grid
- Racing Bulls handed suspended £25,900 fine for “serious” problem on Lawson’s car
- Antonelli leads extended practice after Albon hits groundhog and crashes
- Mercedes and McLaren upgrades confirmed, no new parts for Ferrari in Canada
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