George Russell storms to Canada Sprint pole as Max Verstappen complaints return

George Russell stormed to Sprint pole at the Canadian Grand Prix following an enthralling session in Montreal.

The Briton edged out teammate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli by just 0.068s, with Mercedes' upgrades handing the team a major advantage over its rivals.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri locked out the second row ahead of Lewis Hamilton in fifth, although the trio were all more than three tenths adrift of Russell.

A frustrated Max Verstappen had to settle for seventh but was fortunate to make it into the top-10 shootout after complaining of his RB22 "jumping" during the second part of sprint qualifying.

SQ3 - Mercedes dominance

Russell entered the final part of Sprint qualifying as the marginal favourite for pole after an exceptional lap secured his place in the top-10 shootout.

Hamilton abandoned his opening lap after a messy first few corners, while others opted for two preparation laps.

Nevertheless, Hamilton was the first to set a lap, posting a 1m 13.411. It was almost immediately beaten by Russell, who went two tenths quicker.

Crucially, Antonelli could not provisionally join his teammate on the front row, although there was still time for one more lap each. Russell found more time on his second flying lap and set a 1m 12.965, while Antonelli improved to second.

Hamilton dropped from a provisional front-row start to fifth, behind the McLaren duo of Norris and Piastri. Verstappen had to settle for seventh, behind Charles Leclerc but ahead of Isack Hadjar, Arvid Lindblad and Carlos Sainz Jr..

SQ2 - Verstappen furious

In the second part of Sprint qualifying, all eyes were on Verstappen in the closing minutes as the Dutchman left it late to set his first flying lap.

Verstappen went ninth quickest but was at risk of elimination with several other drivers still on flying laps. He immediately pitted after his sole flying lap, complaining that the car was "just s*** on the rear".

To Red Bull's relief, Verstappen progressed to the final part of Sprint qualifying, while George Russell went fastest by 0.439s after posting a 1m 13.026.

Carlos Sainz snuck into the top 10 with his final lap at the expense of Audi driver Nico Hülkenberg, who was knocked out in 11th.

The German was joined in the drop zone by Gabriel Bortoleto, Franco Colapinto, Esteban Ocon, Oliver Bearman and Fernando Alonso, who failed to set a lap after his crash in the first part of Sprint qualifying.

SQ1 - Alonso suffers rare crash

There was drama before Sprint qualifying even got underway, as it was confirmed that Alex Albon and Liam Lawson would both miss the session following damage sustained during practice.

Albon suffered a heavy accident after hitting a marmot, while Lawson encountered a hydraulics issue which required significant repair work.

As for the action on track, Fernando Alonso triggered a late red flag with 1m 46s remaining in the session after a shock crash at Turn 3.

The Spaniard entered the corner too quickly and slid into the barrier in what was a hefty impact. Although the session resumed, there was not enough time for drivers to improve their lap times.

It resulted in Sergio Pérez being eliminated in 17th, ahead of Lance Stroll, Pierre Gasly, Valtteri Bottas and, of course, Albon and Lawson. Hamilton was quickest with a 1m 13.889s lap.