Russell nails Montreal pole as Mercedes gamble pays off
George Russell didn’t just top the times—he flipped the script. The Mercedes driver took pole for the Canadian Grand Prix with a 1:10.899, edging Max Verstappen by 0.160s and leaving championship leader Oscar Piastri third. It’s Russell’s first pole of 2025, his second straight at this track, and his sixth in Formula 1. He did it on medium tyres when the obvious play looked like softs. Bold call. Big reward.
The final minutes of Q3 were tense. Verstappen had set the early marker and looked comfortable, then the grip came up and the tyre picture shifted. Russell stuck with mediums and attacked every chicane. His final lap kept lighting up the steering wheel delta—up a tenth here, another tenth there—and he held it together through the Wall of Champions. When he crossed the line, the paddock knew it was a lap with some bite.
There’s extra spice to the front row. Two weeks ago in Barcelona, Verstappen shoved his Red Bull into the side of Russell’s car in a flashpoint that earned the world champion heavy criticism and took him to 11 penalty points—one short of a one-race ban. Now they share the first row in Montreal, a track with a tight Turn 1 and a squeeze into the left-right of Turn 2. If you wanted tension, you’ve got it.
Piastri settled for third, two tenths off Russell, despite running the soft compound in Q3. That detail matters. On balance, the medium proved the better tyre as the temperature and grip window moved late in the session. The medium gave more stability on the heavy braking and the stubborn kerbs of the final sector. Piastri still looked tidy, but the softs overheated just enough in the chicanes to cost him time where it mattered.
Mercedes has more to smile about than just pole. Kimi Antonelli stuck the second silver car fourth, backing up the team’s pace with his calmest qualifying display yet. For a teenager with the weight of expectation on his shoulders, that’s a serious marker. The team found a sweet spot on balance and braking stability, and both drivers cashed in when the track evolved.
Ferrari’s lead car was Lewis Hamilton in fifth. He kept it clean and banked a lap when others faltered on their last runs. Charles Leclerc ended up eighth after an oversteer snap ruined his final shot. The red cars weren’t miles off, but they never quite looked hooked up through the second chicane and the hairpin. If they’re banking on race pace and tyre life to bring them into play, they’ll need a sharp first stint and clear air.
Fernando Alonso put the Aston Martin sixth, right in the fight to punish any front-run slip-ups. Lando Norris had a scruffy Q3 and wound up seventh after failing to improve on his last attempt—unusual for one of the better qualifiers on the grid. He’ll be annoyed at the missed lap; McLaren had the speed for the second row if things had clicked.
Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar took ninth on the times but picked up a three-place grid penalty for impeding Williams’ Carlos Sainz in Q1. That shuffle nudges Alex Albon, who was tenth after a wild start to qualifying, up a spot on the grid. Albon’s engine cover flew off on the straight early in the session—one of those rare, head-turning moments that can wreck a driver’s rhythm. Credit to Williams for patching the car up and Albon for delivering when it counted.
Verstappen’s path to the front won’t be simple. The lap time was there in his final run, but the edges of the Red Bull looked sharp—quick on turn-in, a little lively on traction. If he wins the start and controls the race from the front, it looks different. But if he has to chase a Mercedes that’s balanced on the brakes and kind to its tyres, he may have to get creative with undercuts and safety-car timing.
Russell, for his part, sounded pumped after parking the car. He called the lap “one of the most exhilarating” of his life, describing how the delta kept going green corner after corner. That checks out with the onboards: committed over the kerbs, precise on the throttle, no hint of panic. He didn’t fluke it; he built it.
The medium-tyre call deserves a closer look. Montreal is cold-start tricky and hot-finish unforgiving. The soft is great for instant grip, but it can wilt fast through the rapid left-rights if the track temp spikes or the driver over-rotates. The medium holds up better through the lap, especially when drivers need to attack the final two chicanes. That’s where this pole was won—by carrying speed over the sausage kerbs without lighting up the rears or sliding onto the marbles.
One subplot that will matter on Sunday: safety cars. Montreal loves them. Walls are near, run-offs are tight, and the kerbs punish mistakes. A standard single-stop can become a two-stop under a safety car. A short first stint can suddenly make you a hero if you pit right before a neutralization. Teams will model half a dozen versions of that race tonight. Track position is gold, but a cheap pit stop under caution can flip the order.
Another factor: overtaking is possible, but not simple. The long run from the hairpin to the final chicane sets up moves into the last corner, and the launch into Turn 1 can force a driver to choose between attack and survival. DRS trains can form if the leaders pace the pack. If Russell manages the battery and the tyres and keeps Verstappen out of DRS range early, he can control the tempo. If Verstappen gets within range by lap three, you’ll see the first real chess match of the day.
As for the midfield, Alonso versus Hamilton versus Norris looks like a battle of tyre life and pit timing. Ferrari’s tyre preparation on out-laps will be key; if they nail their warm-up for the first stop and undercut the cars ahead, fifth can quickly turn into a podium chase. McLaren will want Norris to clear traffic fast, because Piastri needs a rear-gunner against two Mercedes and a Red Bull on the front rows of strategy.
Keep an eye on Antonelli. A clean launch and a composed first stint can put him right into the podium window, especially if he stays within undercut distance of Piastri. He’s shown he can bank laps without much drift in sector times—a good sign for tyre life on a circuit that punishes over-driving.
Williams will start the race with split stories. Albon’s recovery after the bodywork drama should put him on the front foot. Sainz, frustrated at being impeded in Q1, will try to slice through from the pack. That usually means bold moves into the final chicane and opportunistic dives at Turn 1. Montreal rewards that bravery—until it doesn’t. Track limits and the Wall of Champions are ruthless referees.
One more thing about the front row: space. Pole here doesn’t grant a huge safety bubble into Turn 1. The line narrows fast, and the braking zone punishes drivers who drift too deep. With Verstappen’s points total hanging over him and Russell chasing a season reset, neither man can afford early contact. Expect elbows out, not over the line.
What it sets up for Sunday
We’ve got a mixed-tyre qualifying story, a simmering rivalry at the front, and a midfield packed tight from fifth to tenth. Strategy brains will earn their pay. If the race stays green, undercuts should bite hard around lap windows where the hard tyre comes into play. If we see a safety car—likely in Montreal—those who can pivot fast will jump two or three places in one stop.
- Front-row heat: Russell vs Verstappen, Round Two. Clean start or fireworks?
- Mercedes rhythm: can Antonelli hang with the lead trio and force Red Bull to react?
- McLaren recovery: Piastri close on pace, Norris out of position. Split strategies on the cards.
- Ferrari patience: Hamilton fifth, Leclerc eighth—undercut threats if their warm-up is tidy.
- Midfield chaos: Alonso, Albon, and a penalized Hadjar reshuffling the order off the line.
By the numbers, Russell’s 1:10.899 wasn’t just fast—it was controlled. Verstappen had speed in the first sector; Russell owned the exits in the second and the rhythm in the third. Piastri’s soft-tyre bet almost stuck but faded where it always does here when the kerbs bite and the rear tyres get hot. Those patterns usually hold over long runs, which is why the opening stint will be all about survival without losing touch.
On paper, the race is Russell’s to manage. On track, Montreal rarely does scripts. One missed braking point, one Virtual Safety Car at the wrong time, one slow stop, and the afternoon flips. The only certainty is we’ll get answers fast: Turn 1, Lap 1, two drivers who owe each other one, and a field stacked behind them waiting to pounce.