Russell takes sprint pole in Montreal ahead of Antonelli

George Russell of Mercedes claimed pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix sprint race, edging out his teammate Kimi Antonelli in a closely contested qualifying session. Russell's best lap time of 1:12.965 minutes was the only one under 73 seconds on the Gilles Villeneuve circuit.

"I feel great after difficult moments in Miami, but I never doubted myself," said Russell, who is second in the drivers' standings. Championship leader Antonelli, the 19-year-old Italian, had topped the only practice session but ultimately trailed Russell by 0.068 seconds in the sprint qualifying.

The McLaren duo will occupy the next row, with reigning world champion Lando Norris 0.315 seconds behind Russell, and Oscar Piastri just 0.019 seconds slower than his teammate. Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc will start in the third row, followed by Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar in the fourth.

The session was marred by incidents that prevented Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) and Alex Albon (Williams) from participating. Lawson's car suffered a hydraulic failure, while Albon's was damaged after hitting a groundhog that had wandered onto the track during the chaotic practice session.

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I feel great after difficult moments in Miami, but I never doubted myself.