Mercedes driver George Russell produced one of the best qualifying laps of his Formula 1 career to take pole position at the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix.
George Russell will start alongside Red Bull rival Max Verstappen on the front row of the grid at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Sunday.
The Mercedes star was the only driver to break the 1:11 barrier with his final lap and for the first time this season, neither McLaren driver will start from the front row of the grid.
Russell is still negotiating a contract extension with Mercedes as his current deal expires at the end of the season.
| TEAM | DRIVER 1 | DRIVER 2 |
| Alpine | Pierre Gasly | N/A |
| Aston Martin | Fernando Alonso | Lance Stroll |
| Audi | Gabriel Bortoleto | Nico Hulkenberg |
| Cadillac | N/A | N/A |
| Ferrari | Charles Leclerc | Lewis Hamilton |
| Haas | Esteban Ocon | Oliver Bearman |
| McLaren | Lando Norris | Oscar Piastri |
| Mercedes | N/A | N/A |
| Racing Bulls | N/A | N/A |
| Red Bull Racing | Max Verstappen | N/A |
| Williams | Alex Albon | Carlos Sainz |
Mercedes have flirted with Verstappen for some time, but the 27-year-old has once again proved why team principal Toto Wolff should consider offering him a new contract sooner rather than later.
After the session, Russell was interviewed by Jacques Villeneuve on the grid in front of thousands of excited Canadian fans.
He made one comment that 1996 F1 world champion Damon Hill very much enjoyed, but plenty of fans weren’t quite as delighted with the British driver’s remarks.
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Damon Hill responds to George Russell’s penalty points jibe aimed at Max Verstappen
Speaking after the session about a potential battle with Verstappen heading into the first corner, Russell said: “I mean, I’ve got a few more points on my license to play with. So, yeah, let’s see.”
Russell was referring to the fact that Verstappen has 11 penalty points on his license, and would receive a one-race ban should he pick up one more point either at the Canadian Grand Prix or the following race in Austria.
Reflecting on Russell’s comment, Hill said on X: “Lovely cheeky comments from @GeorgeRussell63 on driver penalty points.
“Didn’t mention any names but of course he meant @Max33Verstappen and these two have history.
“Going to be an interesting corner 1!”
However, while Hill seemed to enjoy Russell’s cheeky dig at his Red Bull rival, plenty of fans were far from impressed.
One comment read: “But what’s so strange is that you and folks like you have been saying that pushing another driver is so bad for the kids, so unsportsmanlike, etc. Strangely, you’re now talking about doing exactly that. Weird.”
Another person said: “If George drove like Max does he might actually win more races.”
“Max has more titles than George has wins, please don’t call it a rivalry,” remarked one fan, while one supporter shared: “Max lives in Russell’s head, come on Max.”
| RANK | DRIVER | TEAM | TIME |
| 1 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:10.899 |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:11.059 |
| 3 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:11.120 |
| 4 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:11.391 |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:11.526 |
| 6 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:11.586 |
| 7 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:11.625 |
| 8 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:11.682 |
| 9 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 1:11.867 |
| 10 | Alex Albon | Williams | 1:11.907 |
“Lovely? The crowd obviously didn’t love it so much,” remarked one person after hearing the mixed reception Russell received when he made the comment on Saturday.
However, not everyone disagreed with Hill, with one comment stating: “Genuinely think Russell can make Verstappen do something tomorrow which will get him penalty points!”
“Love the mind games, that 1st corner is mine, back out of it Max,” said another fan with an intense battle expected when the lights go out on Sunday evening in Montreal.
READ MORE: All you need to know about Mercedes F1 Team from team principal to lineage
George Russell must be wary of Max Verstappen’s lightning-fast race starts
Very few drivers get the better of Verstappen on the opening lap of a race.
Oscar Piastri admitted he made a mistake in Imola by allowing the Dutchman to overtake him around the outside after starting on pole position.
However, the current leader of the drivers’ championship got the better of the four-time world champion in Saudi Arabia after a sluggish start off the grid from the Red Bull driver.
| Position | Drivers’ Championship | Points |
| 1 |
Oscar Piastri |
186 |
| 2 |
Lando Norris |
176 |
| 3 |
Max Verstappen |
137 |
| 4 |
George Russell |
111 |
| 5 |
Charles Leclerc |
94 |
| 6 |
Lewis Hamilton |
71 |
| 7 |
Andrea Kimi Antonelli |
48 |
| 8 |
Alexander Albon |
42 |
| 9 |
Isack Hadjar |
21 |
| 10 |
Esteban Ocon |
20 |
The run down to the first corner in Canada isn’t particularly long, but the nature of the first two corners in Montreal means that Verstappen only needs to be alongside Russell to have a great chance of taking the lead of the race.
Piastri and Andrea Kimi Antonelli will be anticipating any mistakes behind them, especially knowing that one error from Verstappen could see him sitting out at the Red Bull Ring next time out.
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