Russell hails Mercedes upgrade push after Canadian Sprint pole
23rd May 2026George Russell praised the effort from Mercedes to accelerate their latest upgrade package after taking pole position for the Sprint at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Feature image credit: Mercedes F1
The Briton topped the timesheets in SQ3 by 0.068s ahead of team-mate and Drivers’ Championship leader Kimi Antonelli at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, as Mercedes locked out the front and finished around three tenths clear of their nearest competitors.
After a difficult weekend in Miami, Russell said the result was a welcome boost.
Speaking after Sprint Qualifying, Russell said: “It obviously feels great after a tough Miami. We understood where the performance was and what we needed to improve.”
“This is an amazing circuit. There’s a lot of grip, it feels like you’re really driving a Formula 1 car around here and today everything came together.”
The upgrade package that Mercedes has introduced in Montreal was originally scheduled for later in the season but the team accelerated work to ensure that the upgrades were on the car in time for this weekend.
The changes include changes to the front wing and floor, which are aimed at improving airflow and handling performance around Canada’s heavy braking zones.
Russell was quick to acknowledge the work done behind the scenes to bring the developments forward with early signs of encouragement.
He continued: “The team have done a great job to accelerate these changes.
“We knew the competition had taken steps recently, so it was important that we responded. The initial feeling is positive and to lock out the front row is encouraging.”
Antonelli leads Mercedes one-two in incident-filled FP1 at Montreal
Russell has warned Mercedes still has work to do in race conditions, particularly at the start, where both he and Antonelli have lost ground this season.
Despite the pace shown over one lap, Russell warned Mercedes still have work to do in race conditions, particularly at the start, where both he and Antonelli have regularly lost ground this season.
Russell explained: “We’re making progress and taking small steps with it.
“I’m not going to stand here and say we’ll fly off the line because history hasn’t really shown that this year, but hopefully we can convert the performance tomorrow.”
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