George Russell of Mercedes secured pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, narrowly defeating his competitor Max Verstappen.
In the final moments of the qualifying session, Russell managed to edge out the four-time world champion`s fastest lap by just 0.16 seconds.
Upon hearing he had taken pole, a lengthy, censored radio burst preceded his exclamation of `Come on!`
Verstappen had briefly held the lead after surpassing championship frontrunner Oscar Piastri shortly before.
Russell`s qualifying performance puts him ahead of Verstappen on the grid, just two weeks after their collision at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, where Verstappen admitted his action of driving into Russell`s car “was not right.”
This incident brought Verstappen close to a one-race ban, accumulating 11 penalty points, just shy of the maximum allowance.
Russell described his pole lap as “awesome” and “probably one of the most exhilarating laps of my life,” noting how his steering wheel display showed him gaining “one-tenth quicker” through every corner.
He added that by the final corner, he was six-tenths ahead, calling the lap “mighty,” and expressed his delight and surprise at securing P1.
When questioned about starting alongside Verstappen on Sunday, Russell light-heartedly remarked that he had “a few more points on [his] license to play with,” implying he had room for aggressive racing unlike Verstappen who is near a ban.
This latest achievement marks Russell`s sixth career pole position. He previously secured pole at last year`s Las Vegas Grand Prix, winning the race from that starting spot.
The qualifying outcome promises an exciting start to Sunday`s race, featuring a short dash to the first corner on a track renowned for tight, competitive racing.
Post-qualifying, Verstappen commented that he felt good throughout the weekend and that the car was performing well, particularly highlighting its efficiency on the straights, which made him “quite happy” with the session.
He added that tire strategy was challenging, but he believed they made the correct decision by opting for the medium compound.
Oscar Piastri qualified third, while his McLaren teammate and title competitor, Lando Norris, had a less successful session, ending up in seventh place.
Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, alongside former world champions Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, will occupy the grid positions between the two McLaren cars.
Isack Hadjar, who initially qualified ninth, received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Carlos Sainz, moving him to 12th. This promoted Alex Albon to ninth and brought Franco Colapinto into the top 10.
Yuki Tsunoda will start from the back of the grid after receiving a 10-place penalty for overtaking under red flags during Friday practice.
