George Russell described his pole-winning lap for Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix as “probably one of the most exhilarating laps of my life,” after storming to the top spot in a gripping qualifying session in Montreal.
The Mercedes driver put in a flawless final flyer in the Q3 shootout, dethroning Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by 0.160s and claiming his first pole since Las Vegas last year.
The result also re-establishes the same front-row pairing seen at this race in 2024, when both drivers clocked in with the exact same time.
“Today was awesome, in front of this amazing crowd as well,” Russell said, still buzzing after climbing out of his rapid silver arrow.
“To get the pole – to be honest, that last lap was probably one of the most exhilarating laps of my life.
“On my steering wheel you've got the delta, and I just saw every corner I was going one-tenth quicker, one-tenth quicker, and I got into the last corner and I was six tenths up [on his previous lap].
“I was like ‘right, this lap is mighty’ and crossing the line, seeing we were P1, was a real surprise. But I was so, so chuffed with it.”
The Briton’s pace came after an inspired switch in Q3 from Pirelli’s soft tyre to the medium compound, a change that paid off, giving him far more confidence on track.
He had shown speed in Friday’s FP2 session, but looked to lose ground on Saturday morning to Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc. When it mattered, though, Russell delivered.
Asked about lining up alongside Verstappen again so soon after their controversial clash in Spain, Russell didn’t shy away.
“I’ve got a few more points in my licence to play with, so let’s see.”
Verstappen Relieved After Tough Friday
Verstappen, who had provisional pole before Russell’s final run, was largely content with second after a difficult lead-up to qualifying, during which he battled persistent braking issues.
“The car actually was in a good window. You need to be quite efficient on the straights, which I think we are in general. Overall, I'm very happy with qualifying,” the Dutchman said.
“I think the car was again working quite well. Then of course the tough choice was the tyres, which one to use, but I think we did the right thing.”
©RedBull
Both he and Russell opted for mediums in Q3 – a gamble that ultimately defined the front row.
Asked whether second might actually offer a strategic advantage at the start, Verstappen grinned: “I would always pick P1. You just start a little bit more forward, but it's fine.
“We'll see what we can do tomorrow. I'm already very happy with what we achieved today to be on the front row and hopefully tomorrow we can have a solid race.”
With tensions simmering from Spain and the title fight intensifying, Sunday’s race is set up for fireworks at the outset.
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