Mercedes' George on pole in Canada with Max Verstappen alongside
George Russell took a brilliant pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix after he saw off rival Max Verstappen to clinch top spot in Montreal.
Russell delivered the goods with the final lap of a thrilling qualifying session to cross the line 0.160 seconds clear of Verstappen.
Championship leader Oscar Piastri had to settle for third but it was another bitterly-disappointing one-lap showing from Lando Norris which leaves him seventh on the grid.
Kimi Antonelli finished fourth, one place ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton.
Russell started on pole here last year and came from nowhere to secure first place again. Verstappen, who crashed into Russell at the previous round in Spain, will join him on the front row.
Verstappen is one point away from a ban following his coming together with Russell in Barcelona and - when asked about the prospect of being joined on the front row by his rival - Russell added: "We are mates so we are all good.
"I have got a few more points on my licence to play with, so let's see."
Norris, whose championship challenge has been derailed by errors in qualifying, made a mistake on his first run in Q1 and had to abort the final right-left chicane.
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3 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Max Verstappen snaps at 'childish' criticism of his driving
A furious Max Verstappen lashed out at criticism of his driving as "childish, annoying and p****** him off" after his nemesis George Russell beat him to pole position for Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix. Russell snatched top spot with a brilliant final lap at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve to leave Verstappen trailing by 0.160 seconds, with McLaren pair Oscar Piastri third and Lando Norris a disappointing seventh. It means Mercedes' Russell and defending champion Verstappen will line up on the front row together, a fortnight after their collision in Spain. Red Bull driver Verstappen accelerated into Russell and was demoted from fifth to 10th by the stewards at the Circuit de Barcelona. He was also hit with three penalty points which leaves him one point away from a race ban. Moments after he landed his second pole in as many years in Montreal, Russell said jovially of his rivalry with Verstappen: "We are mates so we are all good. I've got a few more points on my licence to play with, so let's see." But when the subject arose in the post-qualifying press conference, Verstappen did not see the funny side. "I don't need to hear it again," he said. "It is really p****** me off. You speaking about it on Thursday, it is such a waste of time. It is very childish. "I don't want to say too much because it is really annoying this world that we live in." Russell insisted earlier this week that Verstappen's attempts to "scare" him in Barcelona did not work and he believes a ban for the Dutch driver - if he reaches 12 points - would be justified. On Saturday, Russell continued: "I don't think any driver goes out there looking to crash into somebody and get penalty points on their licence. Max is one of the best and there is no reason for him to race any differently. "But I am not sitting here thinking he will give me more room but probably the opposite to prove a point so I will keep an eye on that. We are here to win and we will not do something which jeopardises the race." Norris is 10 points behind Piastri and his championship challenge has been derailed by errors in qualifying. Here, he made another two when it came to the crunch - aborting the final right-left chicane on his first run in Q3 and then grazing the wall on the exit of Turn 7 with his last effort to leave him seven tenths off the pole pace and four places and half-a-second behind Piastri in the other McLaren. "It is a very easy track to push one per cent too much and pay the price - and that's what happened today," said Norris. "Mistakes have cost me. A podium will be tough because we don't have the pace we have had of the past few races. I am not as confident as in other places but I am confident we can go forward but it will be a struggle." Kimi Antonelli will line up from fourth for Mercedes, one place ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton. Charles Leclerc made an error on his last lap and is eighth on the grid.
The 42
11 hours ago
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George Russell sees off Max Verstappen to take brilliant pole at Canadian GP
Updated at 22.43 GEORGE RUSSELL took a brilliant pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix after he saw off rival Max Verstappen to clinch top spot in Montreal. Russell delivered the goods with the final lap of a thrilling qualifying session to cross the line 0.160 seconds clear of Verstappen. Championship leader Oscar Piastri had to settle for third, but it was another bitterly disappointing one-lap showing from Lando Norris, which leaves him seventh on the grid. Kimi Antonelli finished fourth, one place ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton. Russell started on pole here last year and came from nowhere to secure first place again. Verstappen, who crashed into Russell at the previous round in Spain, will join him on the front row. 'Today was awesome in front of this amazing crowd,' said Russell. 'The last lap was one of the most exhilarating laps of my life. 'I got into the last corner, and I could see on my steering wheel that this lap was mighty. It was a surprise to see I was first, but I was chuffed too.' Verstappen is one point away from a ban following his coming together with Russell in Barcelona, and — when asked about the prospect of being joined on the front row by his rival — Russell added: 'We are mates, so we are all good. 'I have got a few more points on my licence to play with, so let's see.' Advertisement Norris, whose championship challenge has been derailed by errors in qualifying, made a mistake on his first run in Q1 and had to abort the final right-left chicane. 'So, Lando, let's just reset and remember your braking references,' Norris was told by his race engineer, Will Joseph. Norris's error handed the advantage to both Verstappen and Piastri, with the former holding a 0.025-second advantage over the Australian. Norris came round again, but he was 0.377sec off the pace with his father, Adam Norris, grimacing in the back of the McLaren garage. On to the final runs, and it was Piastri who went fastest, only to be usurped by Verstappen and then Russell. Norris, who trails Piastri by 10 points in the standings, was a distant 0.726 behind Russell and half-a-second adrift of Piastri in the other McLaren to deal another blow to the Briton's title hopes. A red flag was deployed in Q1 after bodywork flew off Alex Albon's Williams on the back straight. An eight-minute delay followed as the debris and Albon's car were repaired to allow him to take part in the restart. Albon progressed to the next phase — and qualified 10th — but his team-mate Carlos Sainz, who appeared to be impeded by RB's Isack Hadjar, was eliminated. Hadjar finished ninth, but he could be served a penalty with the stewards investigating the flashpoint. Sainz was left in 17th but will start one place higher after Yuki Tsunoda was demoted from 11th to last following a red-flag infringement in final practice. Home favourite Lance Stroll will start a place back from Sainz after he fell at the first hurdle, 14 days after he withdrew from the race in Spain with a wrist injury.
RTÉ News
13 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Mercedes' George on pole in Canada with Max Verstappen alongside
George Russell took a brilliant pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix after he saw off rival Max Verstappen to clinch top spot in Montreal. Russell delivered the goods with the final lap of a thrilling qualifying session to cross the line 0.160 seconds clear of Verstappen. Championship leader Oscar Piastri had to settle for third but it was another bitterly-disappointing one-lap showing from Lando Norris which leaves him seventh on the grid. Kimi Antonelli finished fourth, one place ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton. Russell started on pole here last year and came from nowhere to secure first place again. Verstappen, who crashed into Russell at the previous round in Spain, will join him on the front row. Verstappen is one point away from a ban following his coming together with Russell in Barcelona and - when asked about the prospect of being joined on the front row by his rival - Russell added: "We are mates so we are all good. "I have got a few more points on my licence to play with, so let's see." Norris, whose championship challenge has been derailed by errors in qualifying, made a mistake on his first run in Q1 and had to abort the final right-left chicane.
