Mercedes looked like the team to beat, and they delivered in style. In fact, both of them did. George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli locked out the front row for the Sprint race in Montreal, host of the Canadian Grand Prix.
Russell set the fastest time with a brilliant 1:12.965, making him the only driver to break the 1:13 barrier. It was a strong response after three consecutive race wins from his teammate, but Antonelli still kept him under immense pressure.
The Italian rookie finished second, just 68 thousandths of a second behind. Even though Andrea set a purple record in the third sector, it wasn’t quite enough to snatch pole. However, it sent a clear message to Russell: if he wants to win on North American soil this weekend, he will have to fight him for it.
Behind the two Silver Arrows sat the papaya-colored MCL40s, with Lando Norris edging out Oscar Piastri by a mere 19 thousandths of a second. The two Woking cars were more than three-tenths off the pace of the W17s, which have returned to a dominant form following the introduction of a new upgrade package brought to Montreal.
The third row belongs entirely to Ferrari, with the Scuderia cars struggling the most when switching to the Soft compound in SQ3. Despite this, the SF-26s weren’t completely outmatched by McLaren. Lewis Hamilton, showing great form today, finished just 27 thousandths behind Piastri. Charles Leclerc faced a more challenging session, ending up sixth and 84 thousandths adrift of Hamilton.
The biggest disappointment of this Sprint Qualifying session was Red Bull. Max Verstappen could manage no better than seventh, severely hampered by an incredibly bouncy and unstable rear end. The Dutchman, who is fresh off competing in the Nurburgring 24 Hours, finished over half a second behind Russell, while Isack Hadjar took eighth, sitting just a tenth away from Max.
Meanwhile, it was a very strong showing for the two drivers filling the fifth row. Arvid Lindblad put the leading Racing Bulls in ninth place, just over a tenth behind Hadjar. Lining up alongside him will be Carlos Sainz in the sole Williams to make the top ten shootout.
Audi might still be battling engine power deficiencies and energy management issues, but the R26 chassis is proving to be highly competitive. Although Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto were knocked out in SQ2, both came agonizingly close to making the SQ3 cut. It was a matter of milliseconds, with the German driver being bumped out right at the buzzer by an excellent Carlos Sainz by a tiny margin of 48 thousandths.
Behind the two Audis sat the leading Alpine of Franco Colapinto in 13th, ahead of the Haas of Esteban Ocon and an uncharacteristically off-pace Oliver Bearman. Much like Ferrari, the Haas VF-26 cars—which run the exact same power unit as the SF-26—struggled significantly to keep up with their direct midfield rivals.
Fernando Alonso was the headline story of SQ1 after crashing with 1 minute and 46 seconds left on the clock. The Aston Martin driver locked his brakes and hit the barriers, triggering a red flag. Although his AMR26 technically advanced to SQ2, he was unable to take part due to the extensive damage sustained in the closing moments of the previous segment. As a result, Fernando will line up 16th on the grid.
Sergio Perez put his Cadillac just 130 thousandths away from an SQ2 spot. The Mexican did a commendable job extracting performance from the latest MAC-26 upgrades, showing a tangible step forward for the American outfit. To put it in perspective, his teammate Valtteri Bottas could do no better than 20th, finishing eight-tenths behind the Mexican.
Also eliminated early was Lance Stroll in the second Aston Martin. The Canadian failed to replicate Alonso’s pace, even though the AMR26 had shown strong potential during the opening day of running. Pierre Gasly’s early exit was another shock. The Alpine driver was caught out by the red flag caused by Alonso, a situation worsened by a massive strategy blunder from his team, who sent him out far too late for a desperate final attempt to escape SQ1. The former AlphaTauri driver will start tomorrow’s race from 19th, just ahead of Bottas.
Alexander Albon did not take part in Sprint Qualifying at all and will start from the back of the grid. The Williams driver remained confined to the garage due to the extensive damage his car suffered during Free Practice 1, following an unfortunate collision with a groundhog on the exit of Turn 7. The Grove mechanics worked tirelessly to get Albon out in time for the session, but the repairs simply took too long. Joining him at the back is Liam Lawson. The New Zealander did not set a time after a mechanical issue on his VCARB03 forced him to stop during the morning practice session.
The competitive landscape in Montreal highlights how quickly upgrade packages and track conditions can shuffle the F1 grid hierarchy. As teams prepare for the upcoming race sessions, managing reliability and optimizing tire performance will be paramount to securing crucial championship points on this demanding circuit.
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