George Russell snatched sprint pole in Canada, locking out the front row for Mercedes alongside Kimi Antonelli. Russell’s 1m12.965s was 0.068s quicker than his teammate, marking his second sprint pole this season. Lando Norris recovered from an early error to take P3, three-tenths off, ahead of Oscar Piastri. Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc followed, with the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar behind them.
Williams showed a glimpse of potential with Carlos Sainz getting into SQ3 for the first time in 2026, finishing tenth. This comes as the team debuts weight-saving upgrades. However, the American-owned Haas team struggled significantly. Despite bringing its first major 2026 upgrade, Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman were the two slowest in SQ2, qualifying a disappointing 14th and 15th. Cadillac's Sergio Perez fared little better, eliminated in P17. Fernando Alonso crashed but still advanced, while Alex Albon and Liam Lawson couldn't even participate due to practice incidents.
This mixed bag sets up an intriguing sprint race. Mercedes’ pace looks formidable, but Haas’s struggle with new upgrades is a concern for American fans, highlighting the work still needed to compete.
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