Russell snatches pole from Antonelli in Canada

George Russell snatched pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix from his Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli in a thrilling finale to qualifying in Montreal.

Russell appeared out of sorts for almost the entirety of the session, but produced a stunning lap with the chequered flag already waving to dislodge Antonelli from pole, with just 0.068s separating the Mercedes pair.

Russell roared with delight over the radio after sealing pole, heaving earlier on Saturday reduced Antonelli's lead over him at the top of the Drivers' Championship to 18 points by winning the Sprint, which featured a contentious collision between the Silver Arrows.

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"That last lap came from nowhere," Russell said. "It was such a great feeling when it was such a challenging session and you pull it all together on that last lap - to throw yourself up the leaderboard is epic."

Lando Norris claimed third as his team-mate Oscar Piastri ensured McLaren locked out the second row, with the reigning constructors' champions closer to the pace than most had anticipated on a weekend where Mercedes have introduced their first major upgrade package of the season.

Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton appeared to be in the battle for pole having been second to Norris after the first Q3 runs, but had to settle for fifth after making a mistake on his final flying lap attempt.

Max Verstappen, frustrated by a lack of straight-line speed in his Red Bull, was sixth, with his team-mate Isack Hadjar marginally behind him in seventh.

Charles Leclerc was eighth in the other Ferrari, while Racing Bulls' Arvid Lindblad and Alpine's Franco Colapinto continued their strong from to round out the top 10.

More to follow...

Sky Sports F1's Canadian GP schedule

Sunday May 24
3.40pm: F1 Academy Race 3
5pm: F2 Feature Race
7.30pm: Canadian GP build-up: Grand Prix Sunday*
9pm: THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX*
11am: Canadian GP reaction: Chequered Flag*
12am: Ted's Notebook*

*Also on Sky Sports Main Event

Formula 1 is in Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix and another Sprint weekend. Watch live on Sky Sports F1, with Sunday's race at 9pm. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime