Mercedes’ George Russell takes pole ahead of Max Verstappen at Canadian Grand Prix

MONTREAL — Mercedes driver George Russell set up a blockbuster front row at the Canadian Grand Prix, beating rival Max Verstappen to pole position.

Russell left it until the very last moment of qualifying to pip the four-time world champion’s quickest time by 0.16 seconds.

When he was told he was on pole, a long bleeped out radio message followed, before he said: “Come on!”

Verstappen had briefly held the top spot, having edged championship leader Oscar Piastri moments earlier.

Russell’s lap means he will start in front of Verstappen just two weeks on from their clash at the Spanish Grand Prix. Verstappen angrily drove into the side of Russell’s car in Barcelona, a move he later admitted “was not right.”

The clash left Verstappen on the verge of a one-race ban, as it moved him to 11 penalty points, one away from the limit.

“Today was awesome!” Russell said. “That last lap was probably one of the most exhilarating laps of my life because on my steering wheel, you have the delta and I was seeing every corner I was one-tenth quicker.

“I got into the last corner and I was six-tenths up so I was like, ‘This lap is mighty.’ Crossing the line and seeing we were P1 was a real surprise but I was so chuffed with it.”

When asked about facing Verstappen on the front row on Sunday, Russell joked: “I’ve got a few more points on my license to play with. Let’s see.”

The late lap gave Russell his sixth career pole — he won the last time he qualified there, at last year’s Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The result set up a tantalizing start on Sunday, with a short run down to Turn 1 at a circuit known for throwing up thrilling contests full of close quarters racing.

Verstappen said after the session: “I felt quite good all weekend. The car actually was in a good window. You need to [be] quite efficient on the straights, which we are in general, so overall I’m quite happy with qualifying. The car was again working quite well.

“The tough choice was the tires, which one to use. But I think we did the right thing [by using the medium].”

Piastri settled for third, with McLaren teammate and title rival Lando Norris qualifying a disappointing seventh position.

Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, and world champions Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso will fill the grid slots between the two McLaren drivers.

Follow live buildup on ESPN F1 from 18:00 BST on Sunday.