In Canada, Russell makes his entrance in qualifying for Mercedes.
George Russell secured the pole position for the first time this F1 season during qualifying in Canada. His rival and world champion, Max Verstappen, matched Russell's time and will start from second place. Verstappen appeared unfazed by the narrowly missed pole.
Briton George Russell, competing in the Mercedes team, claimed the top spot in qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix, tying with world champion Max Verstappen in the Red Bull. Although Verstappen's fastest lap time was recorded seconds earlier, Russell clinched the pole position for the second time in his career. Both drivers finished with a time of 1:12.000 minutes, while Lando Norris took third place for McLaren.
"I'm thrilled, all the effort put in at the factory has paid off," expressed Russell, who was excited for the upcoming race. "I might have a chance at winning - we'll see," added Russell, whose car felt excellent on the Canadian track. His team had recently encountered some issues, falling behind in the competition. Verstappen, unsurprised by the close call for the pole position, responded, "That's just the way it is."
Perez and Leclerc in the bottom tier
The day after Verstappen extended his contract for two more years, Red Bull's Sergio Perez faced another setback. Like in Monaco, the Mexican was eliminated in the first of three qualifying rounds, finishing as the 16th driver. Perez criticized his own performance via the radio. Nico Hulkenberg will start from 19th place, driving the Haas-racing car.
In the overall World Championship standings before the season's ninth race, Verstappen leads with 169 points, followed by Ferrari ace Charles Leclerc with 138 points. The Monegasque, who recently won his home race, also faced disappointing qualifying results. Sainz, Leclerc's teammate, finished in 12th place.
Read also:
In the upcoming race, Max Verstappen, the world champion from Red Bull, will aim to outperform George Russell who secured the pole position for Mercedes in Canada. Despite missing the pole position by a small margin, Verstappen remains confident, knowing that Formula 1 often presents unexpected twists.
During the press conference, when asked about the tight battle for pole position, Max Verstappen talked about how challenging the Canadian Grand Prix track can be, emphasizing that every position counts in Formula 1's Formula 1.
