George Russell secured pole position for the second consecutive year at the Canadian Grand Prix, delivering a thrilling final lap that he described as one that gave him “goosebumps.”
As the clock wound down in Q3, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri initially looked set to claim pole after clocking a 1:11.120, only for Max Verstappen to respond moments later with a 1:10.959. However, Mercedes and George Russell stole the show for the second year running. Opting for the medium tyres instead of the soft compound, Russell found almost seven tenths of a second over his previous best to cross the line with a 1:10.899.
Reflecting on this achievement, Russell named it as one of the most exhilarating moments of his career.
“Yeah, honestly, it was probably the most exhilarating lap I’ve ever done in my life because around this circuit you’ve got to be so committed.”
The Mercedes driver stated that despite the challenging circuit conditions, his final lap came together perfectly.
“It’s not easy, it’s quite bumpy and so easy to make a mistake…. It was just like the car was on rails. I just felt in such a rhythm, and crossing the line, when you do a lap like that, to get pole position as well was insane.”
Russell went as far as to say his final flying lap gave him goosebumps. Something he’d never experienced following a good result in the sport.
“I had goosebumps in that moment. I don’t think I’ve ever had goosebumps after a pole position or a good result. That one meant a lot to me.”
The medium tyre advantage
Much like last season, Mercedes strategically chose the medium compound in Q3, catching out their rivals on the soft compound. Russell explained that the medium tyre was the best option for the team.
“I think that was definitely the faster tyre today. We’ve seen it a few times before. The qualifying was a tricky session. The people who were at the front—it was always variable.”
Despite a tricky start to qualifying, the British driver felt the medium tyre gave him more confidence when it truly matter.
“In Q1, I was further down the order. Then Q2, I had a good lap. First run in Q3, I was a bit off the pace—three or four tenths off—and it felt like a good lap as well, but the Medium really gave me that bit of extra confidence.”
However, the tyre choice wasn’t the only crucial strategy for Mercedes. The constantly evolving track conditions in Montreal meant that the final moments of qualifying were crucial.
“I think so. Every lap you do, the track’s always going faster and faster… Especially on a circuit like this, which is a street track, it’s a little bit windy, so you get a bit of dust on the circuit between the sessions. That’s why it’s always that very last lap in Q3 that counts.”
Russell emphasised that the pressure was on as one mistake around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve would ruin a good weekend.
It doesn’t matter how the whole weekend goes and we’d been having a really strong weekend up until qualifying, so the pressure’s on. If you don’t perform as well as you did in practice, it’s a bit of an underperformance. But, obviously, getting that result was mega.”
Strategy ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix
Looking ahead to Sunday’s Grand Prix, Russell knows the race will present a whole new set of challenges, particularly with changing temperatures and unpredictable strategy options.
“Right now, I’m not too sure… To be honest, we had good race pace on Friday, but it depends on the temperature. In practice, it was five degrees cooler than it was today, and the car was easily in its sweet spot. Now, it can easily go the other way tomorrow in the race.”
With the race scheduled for an earlier start time compared to qualifying, track conditions could shift again, adding another layer of uncertainty.
“If the sun comes out—it’s a 2:00 race, it was a 4:00 qualifying today—that makes quite a bit of difference. So, it’s not going to be an easy race and, you know, of course, got some really quick guys around me. We don’t know if it’s going to be a one-stop or a two-stop, so it won’t be straightforward.”
No bad blood since Spain
Verstappen and Russell have openly spoken this week about the incident at the end of the Spanish Grand Prix. With the duo starting from the front row during the Canadian GP, Russell has stated he will approach the fight with Verstappen more aggressively than before.
“Yeah. I think, obviously, we’re both fighting for the win here, and neither of us are really in a championship battle. I haven’t had a win this year, so I want to get one on the board. Time will tell.”
