The grid has been set for today’s sprint race at the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix, with George Russell leading a dominant front-row lockout for Mercedes alongside teenage sensation Kimi Antonelli.
After an intense sprint qualifying session on Friday at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Russell delivered a brilliant lap to secure sprint pole position, denying rivals from Ferrari and McLaren. The British driver responded perfectly to recent pressure from team-mate Antonelli, who arrived in Montreal after claiming three consecutive victories earlier in the season.
Antonelli will line up alongside Russell on the front row, giving Mercedes a huge opportunity heading into Saturday’s sprint. Meanwhile, Lando Norris qualified third for McLaren, with championship rival Oscar Piastri starting directly behind him in fourth place.
Ferrari’s experienced duo of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc will occupy the third row in fifth and sixth respectively. Hamilton had looked capable of challenging Mercedes during parts of sprint qualifying but ultimately fell short in the decisive moments of the session.
Defending world champion Max Verstappen could only manage seventh for Red Bull Racing, while his team-mate Isack Hadjar starts eighth. Rookie Arvid Lindblad impressed once again by placing ninth for Racing Bulls, ahead of Carlos Sainz in the leading Williams Racing car.
Further down the order, Nico Hulkenberg starts 11th for Audi, followed by team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto in 12th. Franco Colapinto lines up 13th for Alpine, with Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman taking 14th and 15th for Haas F1 Team.
Veteran driver Fernando Alonso starts 16th for Aston Martin, while Sergio Perez begins 17th for Cadillac Formula 1 Team. Home favourite Lance Stroll could only qualify 18th, ahead of Pierre Gasly in 19th.
The back row features Cadillac driver Valtteri Bottas in 20th, while Alex Albon and Liam Lawson round out the field after difficult sessions for Williams and Racing Bulls respectively.
The sprint race at the Canadian Grand Prix is scheduled to begin at 12:00 local time in Montreal on Saturday, May 23. Fans in the United Kingdom can watch lights out at 17:00 BST, while viewers in Central Europe can tune in at 18:00 CEST. The race starts at 21:30 IST in India and 01:00 JST on Sunday morning in Japan.
With Mercedes locking out the front row and McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull all close behind, the stage is set for a dramatic sprint showdown in Montreal as teams battle for valuable championship points ahead of Sunday’s main Grand Prix.
