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Liam Lawson was sidelined due to a hydraulic leak.
Russell's Reaction
Russell expressed satisfaction with the car upgrades, which included a modified front wing and floor changes to optimize airflow and manage heavy braking zones in Canada.
"It obviously feels great after a tough Miami but I never doubted myself – I knew what I could do," he said.
The British driver acknowledged that while the upgrades provided an edge over McLaren, Mercedes must still address their ongoing struggles with race starts.
"We're making progress, we're making baby steps in this regard so I'm not going to stand here and say we're going to fly off the line in P1 and P2," Russell added.
He noted that history favors their competitors at the start, making execution during the race crucial.
Meanwhile, Antonelli secured second place despite making several driving errors during the session, which left his tyres cold ahead of his final soft-tyre attempt.
"The lap was quite bad, to be fair. The session was not clean at all," said Antonelli.
The Italian teenager explained that a mistake in SQ2 disrupted his rhythm, leading to a compromised preparation loop for his final flying lap.
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Antonelli affirmed that the updated aerodynamic package has restored Mercedes' competitive advantage, even though the team is still learning how the modifications impact car balance.
