Canadian GP Qualifying: George Russell beats Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri to pole as Lando Norris finishes seventh

Canadian GP Qualifying: George Russell beats Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri to pole as Lando Norris finishes seventh | F1 News

June 14, 2025

George Russell produced a stunning lap to beat Max Verstappen to pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix as McLaren were surprisingly outpaced in Montreal.

Russell delivered the pace Mercedes had promised throughout much of practice to deliver a time 1:10.899, beating the benchmark set moments earlier by Red Bull’s Verstappen by 0.160s and sealing pole at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for a second successive year.

World championship leader Oscar Piastri was only third but fared well in comparison to his McLaren team-mate and nearest title challenger Lando Norris, who appeared to be the favourite for pole before an error-strewn Q3 left the Brit seventh.

Kimi Antonelli underlined Mercedes’ impressive speed at the circuit by beating Lewis Hamilton to fourth, as Ferrari once more failed to deliver on the promise they had shown in practice, with Charles Leclerc only eighth.

Fernando Alonso claimed an impressive sixth for Aston Martin as his upturn in form continued despite his team-mate Lance Stroll making a Q1 exit as his home race.

Isack Hadjar took ninth for Racing Bulls but appears almost certain to receive a grid penalty for an impeding incident that resulted in Williams’ Carlos Sainz being knocked out of Q1.

The Spaniard’s Williams team-mate Alex Albon rounded out the top 10 after recovering from a bizarre Q1 incident that saw a red flag shown after a huge part of the engine cover flew off his car.

Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Yuki Tsunoda qualified 11th but will start from the back of the grid after receiving a 10-place grid penalty for a red-flag infringement in final practice.

More to follow…

Canadian GP Qualifying Timesheet


Driver	Team	Time
1) George Russell	Mercedes	1:10.899
2) Max Verstappen	Red Bull	+0.160
3) Oscar Piastri	McLaren	+0.221
4) Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	+0.492
5) Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	+0.627
6) Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	+0.687
7) Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.726
8) Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.783
9) Isack Hadjar	Racing Bulls	+0.968
10) Alex Albon	Williams	+1.008
Knocked out in Q2
11) Yuki Tsunoda*	Red Bull	1:12.102
12) Franco Colapinto	Alpine	1:12.142
13) Nico Hulkenberg	Sauber	1:12.183
14) Oliver Bearman	Haas	1:12.340
15) Esteban Ocon	Haas	1:12.634
Knocked out in Q1
16) Gabriel Bortoleto	Sauber	1:12.385
17) Carlos Sainz	Williams	1:12.398
18) Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	1:12.517
19) Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	1:12.525
20) Pierre Gasly	Alpine	1:12.667
*10-place grid penalty to be applied

Sky Sports F1’s Canadian GP schedule

Sunday June 15
3.50pm: F1 Academy Race Three
5.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Canadian GP build-up*
7pm: THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX*
9pm: Chequered Flag: Canadian GP reaction
10pm: Ted’s Notebook

*also on Sky Sports Main Event

The 2025 Formula 1 season resumes live on Sky Sports F1 with the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime.