Russell Beats Antonelli by 0.068 Seconds for Canadian GP Pole — Grand Prix Results
George Russell took pole position in the grand prix results for the Canadian Grand Prix, edging Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli by 0.068 seconds on the final lap of qualifying. It was the second big result of Saturday for Russell after he won the sprint race earlier in the day.
Russell’s final lap
Russell had aborted his first lap before the decisive run, then completed two flying laps and found enough pace to overturn the session at the end. He said after qualifying: “It is the most exhilarating feeling in the world when it comes at the last minute out of nowhere”.
The pole lap also came with a clean explanation from inside the cockpit. Russell said: “The car was out of sync, out of balance [for much of the session]. I knew I needed a big lap and on my preparation lap I saw Kimi on the TV screen going purple [fastest] and I was like, right, I need to bring something big here.”
Antonelli and Norris
Antonelli had briefly moved ahead after setting a time that beat Lando Norris, and Norris was still in the fight for pole after he posted the fastest middle sector before Russell’s last effort. Antonelli then finished 0.083 seconds short of Norris’s earlier benchmark before Russell improved again.
Antonelli described the margin from his side: “It was very difficult to get the tyres in the right window. It was a pity to miss out by such a small amount but George did a great lap.” The gap between the two Mercedes drivers left Antonelli second, with Norris still close enough to keep pressure on the front row battle.
Hamilton and the top 10
Oscar Piastri was fourth fastest, with Lewis Hamilton fifth and Charles Leclerc behind him. Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar filled the positions between Hamilton and Leclerc, while Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto completed the top 10.
Hamilton’s session also carried an investigation after he was accused of impeding Pierre Gasly in the first part of qualifying, but officials took no action after Gasly said he did not consider Hamilton to have impeded him. Russell also said the team had made changes to the car for qualifying with predicted wet weather on Sunday in mind. He summed up the last-lap finish this way: “It was such a challenging session but to do it on the very last lap was epic”.
