George Russell stuns F1 Grid with Pole in Canada!

George Russell claimed his sixth career Formula 1 pole position – and his first of the 2025 season – with a sensational lap during Saturday’s qualifying session at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The Mercedes driver clocked a blistering 1:10.899 in Q3, narrowly edging out Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by just 0.160 seconds.

Russell’s lap came on the medium compound tyres and was described by the Briton as “one of the most exhilarating laps of my career.” With cool, overcast conditions favouring the Silver Arrows, the 26-year-old delivered under pressure to lead a top three separated by just over two tenths.

Verstappen, who had topped Q2, was left to settle for second with a time of 1:11.059, while championship leader Oscar Piastri continued his impressive run of form to take third for McLaren with 1:11.120. Sadly, Lando Norris (McLaren) qualified +0.726s behind the pole sitter on P7 due to making "too many mistakes" during his final push lap in Q3. He admitted to pushing too hard and overdriving, which resulted in errors that cost him valuable time. Specifically, he out-braked himself into the final corner on his first push lap, and although he was able to recover some time on the second lap, the tyres were not at their best.

Penalties Shake Up the Grid

Racing Bulls’ rookie Isack Hadjar, who impressed by reaching Q3, was handed a three-place grid penalty for impeding Carlos Sainz in Q1. He will now start from 13th. Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda was slapped with a 10-place drop after overtaking under red flag conditions, sending him to the back of the grid.

The mid-field drivers

Ferrari endured a mixed session; Hamilton salvaged fifth, but Leclerc was held up by traffic and frustrated to qualify only eighth. Fernando Alonso quietly delivered a solid sixth for Aston Martin, capitalising on clean track conditions.

Saturday’s session was also marked by controversy as FIA steward Derek Warwick was suspended for allegedly making unauthorised media comments regarding penalty decisions, adding further scrutiny to stewarding consistency this season.