16:59
Stroll's Aston Martin has been wheeled back into the pits from P17. He will likely try to get out for the start, but any hope of points, which was already a lofty target, are gone now.
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
16:55
Five minutes until lights out. Time to play that music, grab some popcorn, and get ready for some racing action.
16:54
If there are any Hull or Middlesbrough fans watching, it's still 0-0 in the Championship play-off final.
16:53
A lot of attention to the front of Stroll's Aston Martin around the front right suspension. It's the bottom wishbone, and they're trying to complete the fix on the grid. This will be incredibly tight on timing, and it's likely that he will need to start from the pits.
16:48
By their nature, with points only down to eighth place, the action in a sprint race is quite often limited to the first few laps.
However, Canada carries a significant risk of a safety car interruption, so a lap one incident may not carry as heavy a penalty as in 99% of other races.
16:39
20 minutes before lights out, and the grid is a very busy place to be.
16:38
16:32
The light goes green at the end of the pit lane, and drivers begin to make their way to the grid. 23 laps will make up the sprint, with a race time expected of around 30 minutes.
16:31
Canadian sprint grid
| 2026 F1 Canadian Grand Prix - Sprint 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 | Charles Leclerc | MON | Scuderia Ferrari HP |
| 7 | Max Verstappen | NED | Oracle Red Bull Racing |
| 8 | Isack Hadjar | FRA | Oracle Red Bull Racing |
| 9 | Arvid Lindblad | GBR | Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team |
| 10 | Carlos Sainz | ESP | Atlassian Williams F1 Team |
| 11 | Nico Hulkenberg | GER | Audi Revolut F1 Team |
| 12 | Gabriel Bortoleto | BRA | Audi Revolut F1 Team |
| 13 | Franco Colapinto | ARG | BWT Alpine F1 Team |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | FRA | TGR Haas F1 Team |
| 15 | Fernando Alonso | ESP | Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team |
| 16 | Sergio Perez | MEX | Cadillac F1 Team |
| 17 | Lance Stroll | CAN | Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team |
| 18 | Valtteri Bottas | FIN | Cadillac F1 Team |
| 19 | Liam Lawson | NZL | Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team |
| 20 | Alex Albon | THA | Atlassian Williams F1 Team |
| 21 | Ollie Bearman | GBR | TGR Haas F1 Team |
| 22 | Pierre Gasly | FRA | BWT Alpine F1 Team |
16:28
Albon, Bearman, Gasly and Lawson will start from the pits today, with both Albon and Lawson failing to take part in sprint qualifying after suffering crash damage and reliability problems respectively.
16:26
Hello!
Good afternoon and welcome to Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix. We get things underway today in half an hour, with the sprint race.