George Russell lines up in P1 after a stunning final lap in qualifying for the Canadian GP. Alongside him is Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri.
Russell clinched pole around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for the second year in a row, the Brit beating Max Verstappen to the top spot but will be cautious lining up next to him tomorrow.
The W16 has seemed comfortable around Montreal all weekend, with Russell topping FP2 and feeling confident coming into qualifying. The colder conditions in Canada, as opposed to the European triple header over the past weeks, left Mercedes in a far more workable window.
Russell admitted that the lap was ‘one of the most exhilarating laps of [his] life’. He told Jacques Villenueve in Parc Fermé, “today was awesome in front of this amazing crowd, as well to be one of the most exhilarating laps of my life. Because on my steering wheel, you’ve got the delta.”
“I just saw every corner, I was going one tenth quicker, one tenth quicker, I got into the last corner, and I was six tenths up. I was like, all right, this lap is mighty.”
He told Villeneuve he was surprised with the pole, but more than happy with the result, saying, “Crossing the line, seeing we were P1 was a real surprise. But I was, yeah, so chuffed with it.”
Turn one hopes
With Max Verstappen starting alongside him on track, George Russell’s start will be paramount to getting him a potential win. When asked about the start and the possibilities heading into turn one in the race, the Mercedes driver joked about chances.
He said, “I mean, I’ve got a few more points in my licence to play with. So, yeah, let’s see.” A cheeky reference to the 11 out of 12 penalty points Verstappen currently sits at following a collision with Russell last time out in Spain.
Even with Verstappen teetering on the edge of a race ban, no doubt he will be going into turn one with nothing to lose and everything to gain.
