Russell beats Verstappen to pole in thrilling Canadian GP Qualifying

George Russell secured a stunning pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix, outpacing Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri in a thrilling qualifying session. The Mercedes driver’s masterful final lap on medium tires, clocking 1m 10.899s, was enough to edge out Verstappen by 0.160s, denying the Red Bull ace the top spot. Piastri, on soft tires, settled for third, while Russell’s Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli impressed with a fourth-place finish. Lewis Hamilton, in his Ferrari, claimed fifth, just ahead of Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin. Lando Norris had a scruffy Q3, finishing seventh for McLaren, followed by Charles Leclerc in eighth for Ferrari. Isack Hadjar of Racing Bulls secured ninth but faces an investigation for impeding Carlos Sainz. Alex Albon rounded out the top ten, recovering from an unusual engine cover incident. Notable eliminations included Yuki Tsunoda in P11, who will start from the back due to a grid penalty, and home favorite Lance Stroll, who struggled to 18th. Franco Colapinto achieved his best qualifying result in 12th, while Liam Lawson and Pierre Gasly will start from the back of the grid.