2026 Canadian Grand Prix is set to begin with a dominant front-row lockout for the Mercedes after an impressive qualifying display from George Russell and teenage sensation Kimi Antonelli. Russell continued his superb weekend form by securing pole position on Saturday, having already taken sprint pole and sprint race victory earlier in the event. Antonelli backed up the team’s pace with another excellent performance to complete an all-Mercedes front row for Sunday’s race in Montreal.
The two McLaren drivers will line up directly behind them after narrowly missing out on pole position. Lando Norris qualified third while championship rival Oscar Piastri secured fourth place, giving McLaren a strong opportunity to challenge Mercedes once the lights go out. Although the papaya team showed competitive pace throughout qualifying, neither driver could match Russell’s final flying lap.
Fifth on the grid will be seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton for Ferrari. Hamilton delivered a composed session to place ahead of reigning world champion Max Verstappen, who starts sixth for Red Bull Racing.
One of the standout performances of qualifying came from rookie Isack Hadjar. The young Red Bull driver topped the Q2 session before eventually securing seventh on the grid, marking one of his strongest performances of the season so far. Alongside him is Hamilton’s Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc in eighth.
Further down the order, Arvid Lindblad claimed ninth for Racing Bulls, while Franco Colapinto completed the top 10 for Alpine. Veteran names such as Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez will have work to do after qualifying near the rear of the field.
2026 Canadian Grand Prix Starting Grid
Position Driver Team
1 George Russell Mercedes
2 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes
3 Lando Norris McLaren
4 Oscar Piastri McLaren
5 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari
6 Max Verstappen Red Bull
7 Isack Hadjar Red Bull
8 Charles Leclerc Ferrari
9 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls
10 Franco Colapinto Alpine
11 Nico Hulkenberg Audi
12 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls
13 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi
14 Pierre Gasly Alpine
15 Carlos Sainz Williams
16 Oliver Bearman Haas
17 Esteban Ocon Haas
18 Alex Albon Williams
19 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin
20 Sergio Perez Cadillac
21 Lance Stroll Aston Martin
22 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac
The grid remains provisional pending final confirmation from the FIA, with teams still awaiting the completion of post-qualifying checks and any potential late penalties before lights out in Montreal.
