MONTREAL :George Russell put his Mercedes on pole position in Canada for the second year in a row on Saturday with Formula One champion Max Verstappen alongside for Red Bull two weeks after they clashed in Spain.
McLaren’s Formula One championship leader Oscar Piastri qualified third with Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli in fourth place.
Lando Norris, Piastri’s British teammate and closest title rival only 10 points behind the Australian after nine of 24 rounds, qualified seventh at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
The clash between Russell and Verstappen in Spain remained a talking point going into the weekend, with the Red Bull driver on the brink of a ban as he chases an unprecedented fourth successive Canadian victory.
Verstappen, 0.160 slower than the pole time, is only a penalty point away from suspension and Russell will try to turn that to his advantage on the short run down to turn one from the start.
“Today was awesome. That last lap was probably one of the most exhilarating laps of my life,” said the Briton, adding a cheeky comment on Verstappen’s situation.
“I’ve got a few more points on my licence to play with. Let’s see.”
Verstappen had no complaints about his grid position.
“I’m already very happy with what we achieved today, to be on the front row. Hopefully, tomorrow we can have a solid race,” he said.
Ferrari’s seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton qualified fifth, at the circuit where he took his first win in 2007 with McLaren. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso was sixth and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc eighth.
Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar starts ninth and Williams’ Alex Albon 10th.
Verstappen’s teammate Yuki Tsunoda missed out on the final shootout in 11th place and will start last after collecting a 10-place grid drop for a red flag breach in Saturday’s final practice.
That will lift Alpine’s Argentine Franco Colapinto to 11th, with his teammate Pierre Gasly alongside Tsunoda on the back row.
Norris was fastest in the first phase, with Piastri second, after a brief red flag delay triggered by Albon’s car shedding its engine cover and leaving debris on the track.
While Albon progressed, teammate Carlos Sainz was left in 17th place – but will move up to 16th – and fuming at what he said was “massive impeding” by Hadjar.
Stewards said they would investigate.
“Hadjar I’m sure will receive a penalty,” Williams team boss James Vowles told Sky Sports television, with a three-place drop looking likely.
Canada’s only active F1 driver Lance Stroll, who missed the previous race in Spain due to hand and wrist pain, also failed to get over the first hurdle at his home grand prix and will start 17th for Aston Martin.
