The starting order for today’s sprint race at the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix has now been confirmed following a dramatic sprint qualifying session at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
George Russell delivered a standout performance to secure sprint pole for Mercedes, with team-mate Kimi Antonelli completing a dominant front-row lockout for the Silver Arrows. McLaren will start directly behind them after Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri claimed third and fourth places respectively.
For Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton lines up fifth alongside team-mate Charles Leclerc in sixth. Reigning champion Max Verstappen begins from seventh for Red Bull Racing after a difficult qualifying session.
Young talent Arvid Lindblad continued to impress by qualifying ninth for Racing Bulls, while Carlos Sainz secured the final top-10 spot for Williams Racing.
2026 Canadian Grand Prix Sprint Race 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 Charles Leclerc Ferrari
7 Max Verstappen Red Bull
8 Isack Hadjar Red Bull
9 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls
10 Carlos Sainz Williams
11 Nico Hulkenberg Audi
12 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi
13 Franco Colapinto Alpine
14 Esteban Ocon Haas
15 Ollie Bearman Haas
16 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin
17 Sergio Perez Cadillac
18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin
19 Pierre Gasly Alpine
20 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac
21 Alex Albon Williams
22 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls
The sprint race is set to start at 12:00 local time in Montreal on Saturday, May 23. That translates to 17:00 BST in the United Kingdom and 18:00 CEST across much of Europe.
With Mercedes leading the field and several top teams close behind, fans can expect a fiercely contested sprint race before Sunday’s main Grand Prix.
