Russell secures pole in Canada with identical time to Verstappen in thrilling qualifying
George Russell Claims Pole Position in Thrilling Canadian Grand Prix Qualifying
MONTREAL, Canada — In a sensational qualifying session for the Canadian Grand Prix, George Russell claimed pole position for Mercedes, narrowly edging out Max Verstappen despite the Dutchman setting the exact same lap time.
Russell's Stunning Pace Secures P1
Russell initially secured P1 with an impressive lap of 1m 12.000s during the first runs in Q3. Verstappen, improving on his earlier effort, managed to match Russell's time exactly, placing him in P2 for the Red Bull team.
Close Battle Among Top Contenders
Close behind the leading pair, Lando Norris clocked in just 0.021s slower, securing third place for McLaren. His teammate, Oscar Piastri, earned a strong fourth position, sharing the second row with an impressive Daniel Ricciardo, who finished fifth for Red Bull, marking a decade since his debut F1 victory at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.
Top 10 Qualifiers
Fernando Alonso took P6 for Aston Martin, followed by Lewis Hamilton in P7, despite the Brit showing promising pace earlier in the session. Yuki Tsunoda, fresh from confirming his seat at Red Bull for 2025, secured P8. Aston Martin's Lance Stroll and Williams' Alex Albon completed the top-10 qualifiers.
Ferrari's Struggle in Q2
Ferrari faced a challenging session with both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz struggling to make it past Q2. Leclerc and Sainz will start in P11 and P12 respectively, just two weeks after both enjoyed podium finishes in Monaco.
Midfield Performers and Dramatic Eliminations
- Logan Sargeant delivered his best qualifying performance of the season, placing 13th in the Williams.
- Kevin Magnussen’s Haas claimed P14, with Pierre Gasly’s Alpine in P15.
- Sergio Perez was dramatically eliminated in Q1, securing P16 for the second consecutive weekend where the Red Bull driver failed to progress beyond the initial qualifying segment.
- Valtteri Bottas of Kick Sauber finished 17th.
- Esteban Ocon placed 18th for Alpine and will face an additional five-place grid penalty following his incident with Gasly in Monaco.
- Nico Hulkenberg's Haas and Zhou Guanyu’s Kick Sauber rounded out the grid in P19 and P20 respectively.
Looking Ahead to the Race
This remarkable qualifying session sets the stage for what promises to be an electrifying Canadian Grand Prix.
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