George Russell pips Verstappen to Canada GP pole position
14th June 2025Mercedes’ George Russell has taken pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix and will start alongside Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
Feature image credit: Mercedes F1
Russell will be the pole sitter for the second consecutive time at the Canadian GP’s Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, having deadlocked Verstappen last year to pole.
The top two drivers opted for medium tyre runs for their final attempts in qualifying, and it turned out to be the right choice as others couldn’t pip them on the softs.
The two will once again share the front row in 2025, but with more tension than last time around. Speaking after qualifying, Russell joked that he has “a few less points on his licence,” a dig relating to Verstappen’s penalty points.
The two came together in Spain, in the previous round, after Verstappen was ordered to let the other pass – an incident the Dutchman was deemed at fault for. In turn, Verstappen was given a 10-second time penalty and three penalty points.
He now has 11 points on his super licence of the allowed 12. If he were to get a point on his licence, he would get a race ban for the next race.
Only former Haas driver, now Endurance racer, Kevin Magnussen exceeded the limit last year and served his ban in Baku.
McLaren’s championship leader, Oscar Piastri, completed the top three. The Australian will be looking to extend his championship lead over his teammate, Lando Norris.
The #4 McLaren made a mistake in his first run but could only muster seventh at best on his final attempt.
Canada’s race will get underway on Sunday, June 15, at 2pm local time (9pm BST).
Read more Formula 1 here:
- Yuki Tsunoda given 10-place grid penalty for Canada red flag breach
- Lando Norris tops final practice of Canada GP ahead of Leclerc
- Lance Stroll return confirmed ahead of F1 Canadian GP
- F1 and FIA announce 2026 Calendar
- Max Verstappen one point away from race ban after Spanish GP collision
- Piastri leads McLaren 1-2 at Spanish GP as Verstappen boils over
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
