Russell denies Antonelli pole for Canadian GP with last-gasp effort

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What is F1 TV?F1 GlossaryGet involved2026 RegulationsNewsVideosRussell denies Antonelli pole for Canadian GP with last-gasp effortNoel Leon earns first F2 victory with fightback in MontrealLiveLIVE COVERAGE: Russell snatches Grand Prix pole in CanadaLindblad ‘very happy to take a point’ in Canada SprintPlay0:52‘We completely changed the car just before Qualifying’ reveals P17 Ocon 0:26Stroll had ‘no confidence in the car’ in ‘really tricky’ Qualifying session Alexander AlbonFernando AlonsoKimi AntonelliOliver BearmanGabriel BortoletoValtteri BottasFranco ColapintoPierre GaslyIsack HadjarLewis HamiltonNico HulkenbergLiam LawsonCharles LeclercArvid LindbladLando NorrisEsteban OconSergio PerezOscar PiastriGeorge RussellCarlos SainzLance StrollMax VerstappenAll Drivers Hall of FameTeamsChevron DropdownAlpineAston MartinAudiCadillacFerrariHaas F1 TeamMcLarenMercedesRacing BullsRed Bull RacingWilliamsAll TeamsFantasy & GamingChevron DropdownF1 Sim RacingFantasyF1 25F1 Manager 24F1 PredictF1 ClashF1 Members' AreaMenuFIA if(window.f1MobileDetection.iOSSafari) { var meta = document.createElement("meta"); meta.name = "apple-itunes-app"; meta.content = "app-id=835022598, app-argument=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/russell-denies-mercedes-rival-antonelli-pole-position-for-canadian-grand-prix-with-last-gasp-effort.5b91PZNqJKlwMzExUu9twT.5b91PZNqJKlwMzExUu9twT"; document.head.appendChild(meta); } {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/russell-denies-mercedes-rival-antonelli-pole-position-for-canadian-grand-prix-with-last-gasp-effort.5b91PZNqJKlwMzExUu9twT","url":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/russell-denies-mercedes-rival-antonelli-pole-position-for-canadian-grand-prix-with-last-gasp-effort.5b91PZNqJKlwMzExUu9twT","mainEntityOfPage":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/russell-denies-mercedes-rival-antonelli-pole-position-for-canadian-grand-prix-with-last-gasp-effort.5b91PZNqJKlwMzExUu9twT","datePublished":"2026-05-23T21:19:02.498Z","dateModified":"2026-05-23T21:19:02.498Z","headline":"2026 Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix: George Russell denies Mercedes team mate Kimi Antonelli pole position with last-gasp effort","author":"F1","description":"George Russell beat Mercedes team mate Kimi Antonelli and McLaren's Lando Norris to pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix with a last-gasp effort.","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://media.formula1.com/image/upload/t_16by9Centre/f_auto/q_auto/v1779558730/trackside-images/2026/F1_Grand_Prix_of_Canada___Sprint__Qualifying/2277851099.jpg"},"isAccessibleForFree":"true","publisher":{"@type":"SportsOrganization","@id":"https://www.formula1.com#organization","name":"Formula 1","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.formula1.com/etc/designs/fom-website/social/f1-default-share.jpg","width":"480","height":"120"}}}CanadaQualifying2026Russell denies Mercedes rival Antonelli pole position for Canadian Grand Prix with last-gasp effortMercedes locked out the front row for Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix, with George Russell leading Kimi Antonelli. George Russell beat Mercedes team mate Kimi Antonelli and McLaren's Lando Norris to pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix with a last-gasp effort. Russell, who had won the Sprint in Montreal earlier on Saturday, posted a 1m 12.578s with his final effort to finish just 0.068s clear of Antonelli as Mercedes locked out the front row for Sunday's 70-lap race. The Briton had been on the back foot in the final segment of Qualifying having aborted his first flying lap and he was down the order with his first completed run. But Russell pulled out the fastest lap at the very end as the Mercedes duo beat Norris and the second McLaren of Oscar Piastri, with Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton suffering a mistake on his second run that left him P5. Max Verstappen headed Red Bull team mate Isack Hadjar in P6 after complaining about the straightline speed of his car, with the top 10 completed by the second Ferrari of Charles Leclerc, Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) and Franco Colapinto (Alpine). FORMULA 1 LENOVO GRAND PRIX DU CANADA 2026 Nico Hulkenberg once again just missed out on a spot in the final part of Qualifying and will start P11. The Audi driver finished ahead of Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls), the second Audi of Gabriel Bortoleto, Pierre Gasly's Alpine, Carlos Sainz (Williams) and the Haas of Ollie Bearman. The second Haas of Esteban Ocon finished P16 after just missing out on Q2 by 0.070s, where he was joined by the Williams of Alex Albon and Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin. Sergio Perez finished P20 but the Cadillac driver is under investigation for several incidents, one of which included blocking Alonso on his final flying lap. The order was completed by home hero Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) and Cadillac's Valtteri Bottas, the pair set to start at the back of the grid for Sunday's 70-lap Canadian Grand Prix. F1FacebookXInstagramYouTube© 2003-2026 Formula One World Championship Limited