George Russell takes Canadian GP pole

George Russell gave Mercedes pole position for the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix with a late lap that denied teammate Kimi Antonelli in Montreal on Saturday, capping a session that left the team on the front row for Sunday’s race. Formula 1’s official report said Russell set a 1:12.578 on his final effort to finish 0.068 seconds clear of Antonelli, with Lando Norris third for McLaren. (formula1.com) The result extended a strong weekend for Russell at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve after he also won the sprint on Saturday, according to Formula 1’s report. GPFans said the qualifying margin exactly matched the gap Russell held over Antonelli in sprint qualifying a day earlier. (formula1.com) ### How close was the Mercedes fight at the front? Mercedes locked out the front row with Russell first and Antonelli second, and the difference between them was 0.068 seconds. Formula 1 said Russell found the time with a last-gasp effort at the end of Q3. (formula1.com) GPFans reported that Russell had struggled earlier in the session before recovering on his final run. The same outlet said the pole margin replicated the result and gap from sprint qualifying on Friday. (formula1.com) ### Who lines up behind Russell and Antonelli? Lando Norris qualified third for McLaren behind the two Mercedes drivers, according to Formula 1’s official session report. Other published result sheets also listed Oscar Piastri and Lewis Hamilton among the leading starters, with Hamilton set to start fifth after avoiding a grid penalty investigation. (formula1.com) PlanetF1’s results page and other published classifications matched the headline outcome of Russell on pole from Antonelli. The front-row lockout gave Mercedes its clearest qualifying statement of the weekend in Montreal. (gpfans.com) ### Why is the Canadian race starting later this year? The Canadian Grand Prix will start at 4 p.m. local time on Sunday, two hours later than its traditional 2 p.m. local slot. Formula 1’s schedule page listed the race start for 1600 local in Montreal, and GPFans said the change was made to avoid a clash with the Indianapolis 500. (formula1.com) Motorsport.com separately reported that Formula 1 moved the start back as part of its published 2026 race times, again citing the Indy 500 overlap. The later start changes the broadcast window for a race that remains scheduled over 70 laps at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. (planetf1.com) ### What does Sunday’s race setup look like from pole? Sunday’s race is scheduled for 70 laps at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, with Russell starting from the clean side of the front row and Antonelli alongside him. Formula 1’s event schedule confirmed the distance and the Sunday start time. (formula1.com) Montreal’s sprint-format weekend has already given teams less practice running than a standard grand prix weekend, and Russell arrives on pole after winning on Saturday as well. The next step is lights out at 4 p.m. local time on May 24, when Russell, Antonelli and Norris lead the field away in Canada. (motorsport.com) (formula1.com)