Sprint Qualifying for Round 5 of the 2026 F1 season, the Canadian Grand Prix, took place at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in the early hours of May 23, China Standard Time (UTC+8). George Russell (Mercedes) beat his championship-leading teammate Kimi Antonelli to claim Sprint pole.
Antonelli, who had dominated the weekend’s only practice session earlier, could not hold on to the top spot when it mattered in qualifying. Russell set a 1:12.965 in SQ3 to secure his second Sprint pole of the season.
Antonelli, who had taken three consecutive victories in the previous three rounds, missed out on pole by just 0.068 seconds. Trailing his younger teammate in the standings, Russell edged him by the narrowest of margins.
For Russell, pole banished the disappointment of the previous round: “The result in Miami was tough, so this feels as good as it gets. But I’ve never doubted myself—I know what I’m capable of.”
“Miami was obviously a little unusual. This is a great circuit, with plenty of grip, and it feels like driving a proper F1 car. This is how F1 should be. Everything clicked today.”
Mercedes once again locked out the front row. Following a dominant one-two in FP1, the Silver Arrows remained in a class of their own in Sprint Qualifying. Their first major upgrade of the season, brought to Montreal, further extended their advantage over the opposition.
Third-placed Lando Norris (McLaren) was 0.3 seconds adrift of Mercedes. A mistake on his first flying lap initially left him down the order, before he recovered on his final lap. Oscar Piastri’s fourth place secured an all-McLaren second row.
The Ferraris followed together, with Lewis Hamilton fifth and Charles Leclerc sixth. Hamilton topped SQ1 ahead of Antonelli and showed pace throughout Sprint Qualifying. His preparations for the weekend—skipping the simulator and focusing on studying the data—may be paying off.
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) was only seventh. In SQ2, he went out later than the other drivers and remained without a time for a long spell, also having a lap deleted for a track-limits infringement. He then climbed to ninth before pitting to wait, scraping through to SQ3.
Eighth was Isack Hadjar in the other Red Bull, with Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad ninth. On his first visit to Montreal, Lindblad survived a scare to reach SQ3 and showed impressive form.
Carlos Sainz (Williams) squeezed into tenth. With teammate Albon missing the session after hitting a groundhog in FP1, the significance of the result for Williams was clear.
Williams updated its front brake ducts in Montreal to increase brake-system cooling, while revising suspension cladding and the tailpipe position to improve airflow and interaction with surrounding aerodynamic components. On track, Sainz made progress: late in SQ2, he narrowly grabbed tenth, knocking out Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) and taking Williams into SQ3, the final part of Sprint Qualifying, for the first time in the 2026 season. He also finished SQ3 in tenth.
For Williams, which is pursuing a long-term rebuild through a major strengthening of its management team, including Piers Thynne, this was a day that felt like progress.
The two Audis finished 11th and 12th. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) was 13th, having completed just one lap in FP1 before suffering a power-unit failure.
Haas, running updates to components including its sidepod inlet, engine cover, floor and diffuser, struggled for pace. Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman were the slowest two drivers to set times in SQ2, finishing 14th and 15th respectively.
SQ1 was full of drama. After finishing tenth in FP1, Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin-Honda) made a promising start and briefly held 14th in SQ1, only to lock up at Turn 3 and hit the wall, ending his session. His earlier time was enough to take him into SQ2, but damage to the car prevented him from going out again, leaving him 16th for Saturday’s Sprint. Teammate Lance Stroll was 18th.
Pierre Gasly (Alpine), who slipped to 19th, was hit hardest by the disruption caused by the crash. He returned to the track after the red flag but ran out of time to start a timed lap. Suspected impeding at Turn 14 was ultimately deemed to require no further investigation.
For Cadillac, Sergio Perez was 17th, while Valtteri Bottas brought up the rear in 20th.
Albon and Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) were unable to take part at all because of problems in FP1. Albon had hit a groundhog, while Lawson suffered a hydraulic leak, and neither car could be repaired in time for Sprint Qualifying.
The Sprint is scheduled to take place at the same circuit at 00:00 on May 24, China Standard Time (UTC+8).
| Position | Car No. | Driver | Team | SQ1 Time | SQ2 Time | SQ3 Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:14.772 | 1:13.026 | 1:12.965 | 19 |
| 2 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:14.010 | 1:13.551 | 1:13.033 | 16 |
| 3 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:14.265 | 1:13.957 | 1:13.280 | 15 |
| 4 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:14.665 | 1:13.858 | 1:13.299 | 15 |
| 5 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:13.889 | 1:13.465 | 1:13.326 | 23 |
| 6 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:15.006 | 1:13.554 | 1:13.410 | 19 |
| 7 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:14.028 | 1:14.412 | 1:13.504 | 15 |
| 8 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | 1:14.541 | 1:14.239 | 1:13.605 | 17 |
| 9 | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1:14.517 | 1:14.140 | 1:13.737 | 19 |
| 10 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:15.500 | 1:14.547 | 1:14.536 | 24 |
| 11 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | 1:15.673 | 1:14.595 | — | 14 |
| 12 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:15.801 | 1:14.627 | — | 14 |
| 13 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:15.484 | 1:14.702 | — | 16 |
| 14 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:15.760 | 1:14.928 | — | 17 |
| 15 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:15.872 | 1:15.197 | — | 17 |
| 16 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:15.760 | — | — | 7 |
| 17 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | 1:16.002 | — | — | 8 |
| 18 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:16.354 | — | — | 9 |
| 19 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:16.642 | — | — | 8 |
| 20 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1:16.866 | — | — | 8 |
| DNS | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | — | — | — | — |
| DNS | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | — | — | — | — |
