F1 GP Canada, Sprint qualifying: Russell ahead of Antonelli, Ferrari on third row

George Russell was the fastest in Sprint qualifying for the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix, valid for the sprint race scheduled for Saturday. The Mercedes driver stopped the stopwatch on a time of 1:12.965, managing to get the better of a diehard Andrea Kimi Antonelli, second with just 68 thousandths of a second.

Behind the two Mercedes, there are the two McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, both about three tenths behind. Behind them are the Ferraris: Lewis Hamilton will start on the third row from the fifth position with a delay of 361 thousandths, alongside him is Charles Leclerc, sixth almost half a second behind Russell.

Late behind is Max Verstappen, forced to start from seventh place ahead of teammate Isack Hadjar.

Starting grid Sprint Race Canadian Grand Prix
Russell
Antonelli
Norris
Piastri
Hamilton
Leclerc
Verstappen
Hadjar
Lindblad
Sainz
Hulkenberg
Bortoleto
Colapinto
Ocon
Bearman
Alonso
Perez
Stroll
Gasly
Bottas
Albon
Lawson

Antonelli leads the rainbow standings with 100 points, twenty points ahead of Russell himself and a full 41 ahead of third in the standings, Charles Leclerc. Antonelli is fresh off three consecutive victories in long races – the last of which was in the Miami Grand Prix, where he remounted after a bad start and then dominated all the way to the checkered flag – and he arrives in Montreal with the wind in his sails.

In the press conference presenting the Canadian Grand Prix, he had responded with poise to those who compare him to Jannik Sinner, the other great face of Italian sport at the moment: “I’m really flattered but we are at very different points in our careers: he has already achieved so much, I’m much further back. I have to prove first that I can stay at a high level in my sport, then comparisons can be made.”