George Russell sees off Max Verstappen to take brilliant pole at Canadian GP
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.
GEORGE TAKES POLE IN CANADA!!! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/oA2COWEu8f
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) June 14, 2025
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.'
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 seconds advantage over the Australian.
Here's the moment Albon's engine cover flew off 👀 #F1 #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/KCFTnog4Je
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 14, 2025
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 was 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.
After a thunderous push in Qualifying, Max will start tomorrow's Grand Prix from the front row 👏
Yuki qualified P11, but has been handed a 10-place grid penalty following a red flag infringement in FP3 ⏱️
🏁 RUS, P2 Max, PIA, ANT, HAM, ALO, NOR, LEC, HAD, ALB, P11 Yuki #F1 … pic.twitter.com/lqqvCSa1wQ
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) June 14, 2025
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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Prem boss says yellow card an 'embarrassment' as duo denied perfect ending
Leicester Tigers boss Michael Cheika took aim at the referee after coming up short in the Premiership final as he declared Dan Cole's yellow card an "embarrassment" Leicester Tigers boss Michael Cheika claimed it is "an embarrassment to the game" that Dan Cole received a yellow card in the Premiership final - which Bath edged at Twickenham. The Midlands outfit were looking to end their era on a high. Head coach Cheika is leaving whilst club legends Cole and Ben Youngs were both playing their last ever games after trophy-laden periods with the Welford Road outfit. Both appeared from the replacement bench, but Cole was yellow carded and sent to the sin bin for the final 10 minutes as his career ended on a low. He attempted to charge down Finn Russell but made contact with the Bath fly-half and was penalised by referee Karl Dickson. Cheika bemoaned the performance of the referee, claiming they "got nothing back" despite their perceived dominance a scrum time. the Leicester boss was also stunned that Cole received his yellow and stated that rugby will be embarrassed by such decisions. The Australian told TNT Sports: "I thought we got nothing back from the referee at all and we kept on coming back and turning up. We scored three tries to two, that tells you something. I'm super proud of the players. '[I was] just upset with the decisions on the field. The scrum we were dominating – obvious ones, not 50-50s. The scrum we were dominating completely. A couple of head knocks, a couple of balls where we could have got penalties there easily. [We had] two men in the bin, [and] the second one [was] for nothing, really. It is embarrassing for the game that a player goes off for that. I'm allowed to be angry, but I got over it and am happy to accept the result now and get on with the next thing.' Pressed further on the yellow card incident he said: 'For me personally, if the game is sending players to the sin bin for that, or even penalising [them]…What do I say, mate? If I say something, I'll get myself in strife and take away from the champion team who have led the competition and deserve to win the competition." Cole had only been on the pitch for seven minutes, running on to a heart-warming reception, and had looked to charge down the Bath 10. His yellow meant that the Tigers were up against it to mount a comeback, even if they kept scoring points with a man less. Leicester came up with two late tries to set-up a grandstand finish, but ultimately came up short as Bath won their first Premiership title for nearly 30 years. Thomas Du Toit and Max Ojomoh came up with their tries as Youngs and Cole missed out on a champion farewell. "It hurts, but I'm proud," Youngs told BBC Radio Leicester. "My emotions are all over the place right now. You have so much ambition to win today and you don't, and you have that to deal with as you try to take it in. It's a funny old feeling." Meanwhile Bath skipp Ben Spencer said: "The future of this club is unbelievably bright, no matter who pulls on the shirt it's next man in. The work ethic is second to none. As long as we keep our feet on the floor and keep on wanting to get better, the sky is the limit for this team." He added: "The amount of hard work this has taken to turn the ship around... we were bottom three years ago. I can't credit [Johnan Van Graan] enough, he's been absolutely brilliant. If we [understand] there's always an opportunity to get better then I'm really excited for the next couple of years."
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Max Verstappen hits out at driving criticism as George Russell seals Canada pole
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 Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
George Russell takes Canadian GP pole from Max Verstappen
George Russell secured pole position at the Canadian Grand Prix, outperforming Max Verstappen by 0.160 seconds. Russell's pole position is his first of the season, with Oscar Piastri starting third. Russell and Verstappen, who clashed in the previous race in Spain, continue their rivalry, with Russell teasing Verstappen about penalty points, saying: 'I've got a few more points on my licence to play with! Let's see, let's see!' Verstappen expressed satisfaction with his qualifying performance and is optimistic for the race. Lando Norris finished seventh after a qualifying error, while Kimi Antonelli will start fourth; Lewis Hamilton starts fifth.
