17:31
Onto the final lap, and Antonelli is ducking and diving on Norris. He overshoots Turn 1, gives the place back, and that is his challenge over.
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
17:29
A kiss with the Wall of Champions for Hamilton, but he survives the moment. His Ferrari won't take many more moments like that, however.
17:27
Back to Montreal, and we have three laps to go. The top three are split by nothing.
17:26
The entertainment spread to Wembley, as Hull score in the 95th minute, to book a place in the Premier League!
17:25
Yellow flags briefly showed, and my heart skipped a beat. But they quickly disappeared with no explanation. With five laps remaining, Russell leads by half a second.
17:22
Norris drops a second back on Russell, and Antonelli is now all over the McLaren driver's gearbox.
17:21
Throughout everything, Verstappen is in seventh, in a no man's land - three seconds behind P6, and 10s clear of P8.
17:20
For those interested, a very dull Championship play-off final remains at 0-0 with a minute of normal time remaining.
17:19
Setting the fastest lap of the race, Antonelli is slowly closing in on the top two. Can someone pass the popcorn, please? We've run out already!
17:18
Norris is closing and closing on Russell. Will he take the chance and dive if the opportunity presents itself?
17:16
Russell is struggling with front grip due to his tyres still being too cold. Antonelli looks to have a similar problem, with Hamilton now hunting him down as all the grip appears to have disappeared from Mercedes!
17:14
On lap nine, Norris is now chasing down Russell and is sticking within the one-second window. More of this, please!
17:14
No further action against Stroll for that start infringement, as Hadjar is backed into the garage.
17:13
"Kimi, concentrate on the driving please, not on the radio moaning," instructs Wolff. The team boss is having none of it whatsoever.
17:12
Antonelli is appealing for Russell to get a penalty. He reports he was alongside the mirror, which would fit the criteria.
Bono is warning Antonelli to calm down, but he's having none of it.
17:11
Calm down guys! Russell puts Antonelli on the grass on the run to the final chicane, before the two collide again at Turn 1.
Antonelli goes off at Turn 8 as Russell again appears to force him off. Piastri drops behind Norris into third.
17:10
"Engine problem. Oh s***," reports Hadjar. Sprint over for the Frenchman.
17:09
This Mercedes upgrade has catapulted them into a different postcode to the rest. On lap 5, the pair are over three seconds clear of the rest. This is proper dominance.
17:07
We're already on lap 3, and Antonelli is beginning to eye up his team-mate. For the moment, he's happy to sit behind and save energy.
17:06
Stroll is now under investigation for a starting procedure infringement. It could be that the team continued to work on the car beyond the prescribed limit.
17:05
Hulkenberg got involved in with Colapinto at Turn 8 on the original lap, and cut across the grass. All continue though.
17:05
Ocon climbs past Perez, and Alonso is now all over the back of the Cadillac. Stroll is also on the track.
17:04
The two Mercedes aimed straight at each other, but they survive in the original order. Hamilton passes Piastri to climb to fourth.
17:03
We are racing!
The five lights go out, and we are racing in Montreal!
17:01
Lindblad in P9 is starting on the hard, with Perez, Stroll and Bottas on softs. The rest are all on mediums.