Russell Nicks Pole for 2025 Canadian GP – Sport Grill

Mercedes’ George Russell nicked pole position for the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix with a dominant final Q3 lap. 

Russell finished FP3 in third position behind Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc but left it late in Qualifying to top Q2 then Q3, which crucially saw him achieve consecutive pole positions in Canada and again alongside Max Verstappen after the pair had a spicy clash in Spain.

FP3

A quiet start saw Alpine’s Franco Colapinto become the first driver to venture out in the fourth minute and set 1m 15.366 as the initial benchmark time on soft tyres.

Leclerc, Oliver Bearman and Pierre Gasly soon displaced him before Leclerc traded fastest laps with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, as he lowered the benchmark time to 1m 12.843 in the 18th minute.

Red flags however came out just five minutes later after McLaren’s Oscar Piastri clipped the Wall of Champions moments earlier and suffered a right-rear puncture, whilst Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg spun and glanced the same wall just behind the Aussie.

The session resumed after a five-minute delay and Russell was the first driver to beat Leclerc’s time with 1m 13.158 on the soft tyre on the half-hour mark, before Norris briefly displaced his British compatriot with 1m 12.375 but Russell immediately went 0.046 seconds quicker.

Hamilton however displaced his two British compatriots with 21 minutes left on the clock as he posted 1m 12.279, but Russell responded a minute later to go quickest on 1m 11.950.

Norris however produced 1m 11.799 with 13 minutes left to top the session from Leclerc who left his fastest lap to the end to fall 0.078s shy in second.

Qualifying

Q1

Sainz was first out on track in Qualifying and set 1m 29.916 as the initial benchmark but times soon began to tumble as Gasly, Russell, Piastri and Verstappen displaced the Spaniard, but his Spanish compatriot – Alonso needed two laps on the medium tyre to go quickest with 1m 12.239.

Lawson, Hulkenberg, Tsunoda, Ocon and Bearman meanwhile found themselves in the bottom five once everyone set a lap time, but the red flags were deployed with five minutes and 30s left, after Albon’s engine cover suddenly blew off on the back straight.

At the time of the red flag, Sainz, Gasly, Albon, Bearman and Hulkenberg found themselves in the elimination zone as the session resumed after a seven-minute stoppage with Piastri first out of the pit lane.

As the checkered flag fell, Gasly qualified last behind Lawson and Stroll whilst Sainz qualified 17th after he was impeded on his final flier by Hadjar, with Bortoleto rounding out the bottom five in 16th position.

Norris finished Q1 fastest with 1m 11,826 and 0.113s quicker than Piastri.

Q2

Verstappen was the sole driver to gamble on the medium tyres in his opening Q2 run in a move which paid off with 1m 11.638, as he found himself quickest from Norris and Piastri as the top three were split by 0.077s.

Once everyone set a lap time, the bottom five comprised of; Colapinto, Hadjar, Ocon, Hulkenberg and Albon, whilst Leclerc went quickest on 1m 11.626 with five minutes left.

Albon however got himself into the top ten on his second flier which dropped Bearman into the elimination zone, before Colapinto went tenth on his second attempt to put Tsunoda in danger.

Once the checkered flag fell, Tsunoda was confirmed to start last on the grid after he qualified 11th, before his ten-place grid penalty for overtaking Piastri in FP3 under red flags is applied.

Colapinto consequently will move up to start 11th ahead of Hulkenberg, Bearman and Ocon with the Q1 eliminations also promoted up one position on the grid.

Up front, Russell topped Q2 on the medium tyre with 1m 11.570 ahead of Norris by 0.029s.

Q3

Hamilton and Leclerc led the field out for Ferrari but it was the latter who set the opening time of 1m 11.729, but Piastri posted 1m 11.273 shortly afterwards to go top as Hamilton and Norris aborted their laps after mistakes.

Verstappen however found 0.025s to go onto provisional pole with 1m 11.248 just moments after Piastri had gone quickest.

Russell and Antonelli found themselves provisionally third and fourth ahead of Norris, Leclerc, Alonso, Hamilton, Albon and Hadjar once everyone set a representative lap time, with Albon the only driver to do a medium-tyre flier.

Hamilton and Alonso went early for their second runs and improved to fourth and fifth on soft and medium tyres respectively.

At the checkered flag, Piastri displaced Verstappen with 1m 11.120 but the Dutchman responded to go fastest by 0.061s, only for Russell to snatch pole position at the death with 1m 10.899, which marked the Brit’s first consecutive yearly poles at a same circuit.

*Tsunoda will start 20th on the grid due to a ten-place grid penalty picked up for overtaking under red flags in FP3,