F1 LIVE | Follow the Canadian GP Sprint, with four drivers set for pit lane start

The first competitive session unfolded in a relatively intriguing manner, albeit with the Mercedes drivers still atop the field. George Russell claimed pole position for the Sprint at the Canadian Grand Prix, with Kimi Antonelli and Lando Norris completing the top three today at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Following the conclusion of both SQ1 and SQ2, where drivers were mandated to run on the medium tyres, teams switched to soft tyres for the final session of the day. Russell proved to be the quickest, finishing ahead of his teammate and his championship rival on the timing sheet with a time of 1:12.965. Antonelli, who was just under a tenth away, could only record a lap time of 1:13.033.

The McLarens of Norris and Piastri will occupy the second row of the grid. Lewis Hamilton was in fine form throughout qualifying, but the seven-time world champion only finished fifth. Charles Leclerc will line up alongside the Briton. Red Bull Racing had a difficult day, as Verstappen and Hadjar will start from seventh and eighth, respectively on Saturday. Arvid Lindblad and Carlos Sainz completed the top ten with strong performances from both drivers.

Prior to the commencement of Sprint qualifying, the first day of on-track action at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve wasn’t without its fair share of drama and challenges for several drivers. The practice session was marred by multiple red flags, including that of Liam Lawson, whose team was slapped with a hefty fine, and Alex Albon, who unfortunately ran over a marmot. The free practice session at the Canadian Grand Prix was indeed a pulsating one.

Once running resumed and the session concluded, Antonelli topped the timesheets with a best lap of 1:13.402. The championship leader was closely followed by Mercedes teammate George Russell, who finished just over a tenth behind.

Hamilton placed third in his Ferrari but was more than seven-tenths off the pace set by Antonelli. Leclerc and Verstappen completed the top five, both nearly a second adrift of the dominant Mercedes duo. Behind them, Norris, Piastri, Arvid Lindblad, Nico Hülkenberg and Fernando Alonso completed the top ten, with lap times ranging from just over a second to two seconds off the benchmark.