22:00
Russell snatches pole position at the death! A 1m12.578s topples Antonelli, and denies the Italian four consecutive pole positions. What a lap.
Hamilton in Canada
© XPB Images
F1 Canada LIVE: Russell takes pole with last-gasp effort to deny Antonelli
Live coverage of Saturday at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix
KEY MOMENTS
- Russell wins after a tense battle with Antonelli
- Antonelli subdued by Wolff in heated radio exchange
- Russell snatches pole with a last gasp effort
The racing action got underway at the Canadian Grand Prix with the sprint race.
George Russell started from pole position with team-mate Kimi Antonelli behind, but the Mercedes drivers made contact several times in the matter of a single lap, leading Antonelli to demand a penalty for Russell.
The tension continued in the post-race press conference, after Toto Wolff had been forced to go on the team radio in an attempt to cool Antonelli's temper.
McLaren and Ferrari have been locked in battle all weekend, with Lewis Hamilton showing strong pace, but finishing last of the quartet in the sprint race, after a brush with the Wall of Champions.
Alex Albon was the major casualty of practice, with the left-hand side of his Williams destroyed after he struck a groundhog and pitched into the concrete wall on the exit of Turn 7. He took no part in sprint qualifying, but started the race from the pit lane.
Driver futures have been a topic of discussion already, with Haas forced to bat away suggestions that Esteban Ocon was headed for the exit door, and Max Verstappen's future - both in F1 and the Red Bull team - has been a topic of continued speculation.
2026 Canadian Grand Prix Friday schedule
Qualifying: 9pm BST - 10pm BST
23 May 2026
23:31
Hamilton: Ferrari "at the mercy" of its engine deficit
Lewis Hamilton says Ferrari is “at the mercy" of its engine deficit to Mercedes after qualifying at Formula 1’s Canadian Grand Prix.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton appeared to be challenging for the front row of the grid in Montreal but he ultimately qualified fifth behind the Mercedes and McLarens after late improvements in the final moments of Q3.
Hamilton was quick in the opening two sectors but consistently lost time in the final sector - largely made up of long straights - as Ferrari’s top speed weakness compared to Mercedes was once again underlined.
Read the full story here ⬇️
HAMILTON SOUNDS ALARM WITH FERRARI "AT MERCY OF LACK OF POWER"
Ferrari is lagging behind Mercedes on the straights
23:16
Max Verstappen U-turns over F1 future with renewed quit threat conditions
Max Verstappen has given the strongest hint yet that he will quit Formula 1 if the power unit regulations don’t change for 2026.
While choosing his words carefully, the Dutchman made it clear that he doesn’t want to compete under the current regulations next season.
Full story here⬇️
Max Verstappen U-turns over F1 future with renewed quit threat conditions
Verstappen faces the media in Canada
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22:49
George Russell hails 'epic' F1 Canadian GP pole lap that 'came from nowhere'
George Russell was overjoyed with his last-minute pole lap at the Canadian Grand Prix after struggling for pace throughout qualifying.
Russell has been the driver to beat this weekend, topping sprint qualifying before winning the sprint race, after a tense battle with Mercedes team-mate and title rival Kimi Antonelli.
Full story here⬇️
Russell celebrates pole in Canada
© XPB Images
22:42
How the grid will line up
| 2026 F1 Canadian Grand Prix - Starting Grid | |||
| Pos | Driver | Nat. | Team |
| 1 | George Russell | GBR | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team |
| 2 | Kimi Antonelli | ITA | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team |
| 3 | Lando Norris | GBR | McLaren Mastercard F1 Team |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | AUS | McLaren Mastercard F1 Team |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | GBR | Scuderia Ferrari HP |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | NED | Oracle Red Bull Racing |
| 7 | Isack Hadjar | FRA | Oracle Red Bull Racing |
| 8 | Charles Leclerc | MON | Scuderia Ferrari HP |
| 9 | Arvid Lindblad | GBR | Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team |
| 10 | Franco Colapinto | ARG | BWT Alpine F1 Team |
| 11 | Nico Hulkenberg | GER | Audi Revolut F1 Team |
| 12 | Liam Lawson | NZL | Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team |
| 13 | Gabriel Bortoleto | BRA | Audi Revolut F1 Team |
| 14 | Pierre Gasly | FRA | BWT Alpine F1 Team |
| 15 | Carlos Sainz | ESP | Atlassian Williams F1 Team |
| 16 | Oliver Bearman | GBR | TGR Haas F1 Team |
| 17 | Esteban Ocon | FRA | TGR Haas F1 Team |
| 18 | Alex Albon | THA | Atlassian Williams F1 Team |
| 19 | Fernando Alonso | ESP | Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team |
| 20 | Sergio Perez | MEX | Cadillac F1 Team |
| 21 | Lance Stroll | CAN | Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team |
| 22 | Valtteri Bottas | FIN | Cadillac F1 Team |
Full story ⬇️
22:28
2026 F1 Canadian Grand Prix: Full qualifying results
George Russell will start the Canadian Formula 1 Grand Prix from pole position after setting the session-topping time with a last-gasp effort.
Mercedes had appeared the car to beat all weekend after bringing a major upgrade package to Montreal. But having dominated the early stages of the weekend, qualifying was a far more difficult prospect, before Russell and Kimi Antonelli found pace in the closing stages.
Full story here⬇️
Norris in Canada
© XPB Images
22:13
George Russell ends Kimi Antonelli’s pole streak at F1 Canadian GP
George Russell made it two pole positions in as many days as he pipped Mercedes team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli in qualifying at Formula 1’s Canadian Grand Prix.
It had been a scruffy Q3 for Mercedes but Russell saved his best lap to the very end as he edged out Antonelli by 0.068 seconds to take his third consecutive pole at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Full story here⬇️
George Russell ends Kimi Antonelli’s pole streak at F1 Canadian GP
Russell took his first pole since Australia
22:02
Top 10
The top 10 is
- Russell
- Antonelli
- Norris
- Piastri
- Hamilton
- Verstappen
- Hadjar
- Leclerc
- Lindblad
- Colapinto
22:00
Norris improves, Hamilton bails out, but Russell is going purple again!
21:59
A 1m12.646s for Antonelli moves him to the top!
21:59
Antonelli is going purple!
21:58
While Russell may get one more chance, this is do or die for the rest now.
21:58
A 1m12.993s moves him up to P3. A nice tow down the back straight was a huge benefit, but that effort will be bettered as the track continues to evolve.
21:57
Russell pins the throttle and this will matter. But there's traffic already. It's an ok lap so far, but nothing overly special.
21:55
Here come the rest of the pack. Russell is essentially at the head of the field, but his first timed lap could see him find traffic towards the end of the tour.
21:54
Russell is back out again. He's the first driver to take a second set of softs, and is not out of sync from the rest.
21:53
Whoa! That explains Russell's pace, it looks like he may have hit the wall on the exit of Turn 4.
21:52
Antonelli crosses the line and is only P4, while Russell bails and returns to the pits.
21:52
Norris, however, smashes the target with a 1m12.729s! Hamilton goes P2, with Piastri, and Leclerc behind.
21:51
A 1m13.473s is Verstappen's first time, and Hadjar is unable to respond.
21:50
After a couple of warm-up laps, here come the first times.
21:47
Q3 is go!
For one last time, here we go!
21:46
You could have been forgiven for expecting Mercedes to dominate, but Hadjar, Hamilton, and Norris all bettered the Mercedes duo. This is wide open!
21:41
Hulkenberg, Lawson, Bortoleto, Gasly, Sainz, and Bearman are all out.
21:41
The flag falls and no one in the bottom order is improving. Colapinto scrapes through into Q3, an astonishing performance given that Alpine team-mate Gasly is out.