F1 qualifying results: Who takes pole at the Canadian Grand Prix?

George Russell took the victory in the Sprint at the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix on Saturday, fending off a late charge from Lando Norris after battling with his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli in the early stages of the race. The win pulled Russell to within 18 points of Antonelli atop the F1 Drivers’ Championship standings, potentially igniting a title fight between the Mercedes pair.

But the big points are earned on Sunday, making Saturday afternoon’s qualifying hour a pivotal moment in the 2026 F1 season. Can Russell keep the pressure on Antonelli? Will the young Mercedes driver bounceback with yet another pole position? Or will Mercedes’ rivals, such as Norris or Lewis Hamilton, who has looked strong so far in Montreal, spoil the Silver Arrows’ party?

We’ll be following the qualifying hour, which begins at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Saturday afternoon, live. So check back in early and often!

F1 Canadian Grand Prix qualifying results

Here is the provisional starting grid for the 2026 F1 Canadian Grand Prix, which will be filled in throughout the session:

F1 Canadian Grand Prix qualifying: How it happened

Follow along as the qualifying hour unfolds. All updates are in Eastern Time.

Q1

4:14: Bearman reports over the radio that a “piece of my car” has fallen off.

4:12: With six minutes left in Q1 the six drivers in the drop zone are: Bortoleto, Alonso, Hülkenberg, Bottas, Stroll, and Gasly. Albon is the driver at risk right now, as he sits in P16.

4:11: Leclerc completes a lap that looks clean, and is good for P9.

Lindblad rockets up to P3 with a strong lap, and he looks comfortable at this track, having secured P8 in the F1 Sprint earlier today.

4:10: Russell improves to P1 with a 1:13.953, but Antonelli immediately clips him with a 1:13.380. Hadjar climbs to P2, and is just 0.274 seconds off Antonelli’s pace. The track is certainly evolving.

Meanwhile, Leclerc is now down in the drop zone, with his lap deleted due to exceeding track limits.

4:09: Verstappen, who has been complaining about the ride all week, jumps up to P1 with a 1:14.067.

4:08: Piastri’s latest effort slots him into P2, just 0.008 seconds behind his teammate.

4:07: The Mercedes drivers log their first push laps, and Antonelli slots into P2 behind Norris, 0.015 seconds behind the McLaren driver. Russell slots in third, 0.255 seconds off the pace from Norris.

Pérez, Stroll, Ocon, Albon, Gasly, and Bottas are currently the drivers in the drop zone.

4:06: Verstappen jumps to P1 with a 1:14.600. Norris then clips him with a 1:14.213.

4:05: Times are starting to come in and Piastri is the early pace-setter, with a 1:15.105. Expect those times to tumble as the track evolves.

4:04: Race control has noted that the incident involving Alonso will be investigated after the qualifying hour.

4:03: 15 minutes are left in Q1 and only Hadjar remains in the garage for now.

4:02: Alonso has been noted by race control for an unsafe release.

4:01: Albon is the first driver to take to the track, followed by Lawson, Bearman, and Ocon.

4:00: Green light in Montreal, 18 minutes on the clock, and qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix is underway.

3:58: Qualifying begins momentarily, but cars are already lined up along pit lane.

3:48: Jolyon Palmer predicts a Mercedes front row, with Russell starting in P1.

3:46: Want to feel old? On the pre-qualifying show, they just showed Juan Pablo Montoya walking the track with his son Sebastian … who drives in F2 for PREMA.