Mercedes driver George Russell secured pole position for the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix sprint race on Friday, May 22, 2026, outpacing his championship-leading teammate Kimi Antonelli by 0.068 seconds.
Russell set a lap time of 1m12.965s on Pirelli soft tyres at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, locking out the front row for the Silver Arrows.
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Top-10 Shoot-Out Results
McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finished third and fourth, trailing Mercedes by approximately three-tenths of a second.
Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc claimed fifth and sixth spots respectively.
Red Bull Racing struggled for grip on the bumpy track surface, with Max Verstappen finishing seventh and Isack Hadjar taking eighth.
The medium-tyred SQ2 segment was led by Russell with a time of 1m13.026s, ahead of Hamilton, Antonelli, and Leclerc.
Carlos Sainz advanced late to eliminate Audi's Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto.
Franco Colapinto was eliminated in 13th place, followed by Haas drivers Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman, who went off track on his final flyer.
Fernando Alonso crashed his Aston Martin into the Turn 3 barriers during SQ1, triggering a red flag with 1m46s left on the clock.
The chaotic rush contributed to Pierre Gasly failing to start his final lap, leaving Sergio Perez 17th, Lance Stroll 18th, Gasly 19th, and Valtteri Bottas 20th.
Alex Albon missed the session after hitting a groundhog in free practice, causing heavy damage that required a gearbox and power unit change.
