Mercedes stole the spotlight in a dramatic qualifying session at the Canadian Grand Prix. George Russell narrowly beat teammate Kimi Antonelli to pole position in the closing moments of Q3. McLaren and Red Bull remained firmly in the fight throughout the session. And several surprise performances and shock eliminations added even more intrigue.
Q1: Antonelli Leads the Way as Aston Martin Endures Difficult Session
Qualifying in Montreal began with early drama in the pit lane. Fernando Alonso was investigated for an unsafe release involving Franco Colapinto, while teammate Lance Stroll was also noted for an unsafe condition on his car.
Lando Norris initially topped the times before Max Verstappen briefly moved ahead. But it was Kimi Antonelli who impressed most with a standout lap to finish fastest in Q1 for Mercedes.
Rookie Arvid Lindblad and Isack Hadjar also continued their strong weekends with competitive laps inside the top order.
At the other end, both Aston Martins were eliminated alongside Alex Albon, Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas and Esteban Ocon in a hectic opening segment.
Q2: Hadjar Shocks the Field
McLaren opted for double warm-up laps, while Mercedes and Red Bull looked increasingly competitive as the session progressed. Antonelli once again impressed by taking provisional pole during the middle phase of the session. Meanwhile, teammate Russell remained firmly in the fight despite a late lock-up.
The surprise package, however, was Hadjar. He produced another excellent lap to finish fastest overall in Q2 ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Norris, underlining just how competitive he looked around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Further down the order, both Lindblad and Colapinto secured impressive Q3 appearances, with the Argentine especially standing out after missing practice earlier in the weekend due to a power unit issue.
Eliminated in Q2 were Nico Hulkenberg, Liam Lawson, Gabriel Bortoleto, Pierre Gasly, Carlos Sainz and Ollie Bearman.
Q3: Russell Delivers Late Pole as Mercedes Locks Out Front Row for the Canadian Grand Prix
The fight for pole came alive in Q3 as Norris grabbed provisional pole after the opening runs ahead of Hamilton and Oscar Piastri, while Verstappen and Mercedes struggled to hook up their first laps.
Antonelli delivered a brilliant lap to briefly move onto provisional pole before Russell responded immediately with an even faster effort, securing pole position by just 0.068 seconds and completing a Mercedes front-row lockout.
Norris ultimately settled for third ahead of Piastri, while Hamilton finished fifth and Verstappen could only manage sixth after failing to improve on his final attempt. The rest of the grid was completed by Hadjar, Leclerc and Linblad.
Mercedes enters race day with momentum firmly on their side after locking out the front row in one of the closest qualifying sessions of the season so far. However, with McLaren showing strong race pace and Verstappen still within striking distance, Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix is shaping up to be another intense battle in the 2026 title fight.
Featured Image Credit: Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team