"George and I raced each other hard," claims Antonelli as he reflects on his battle with Russell
Championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli claimed that "George and I raced each other hard" after having finished third in the Montreal F1 Sprint and securing second spot on the grid for today's Canadian Grand Prix.
Although the teenager narrowly missed out on pole to team‑mate George Russell—by the same 0.068‑second margin that separated them on Friday—his pace, racecraft, and adaptability once again underlined why Mercedes increasingly trusts him in high‑pressure scenarios.
The Sprint opened with Russell defending the inside line into Turn 1, but Antonelli immediately applied pressure. After several laps of probing attacks, the two went side‑by‑side in a fierce exchange that included light contact. Antonelli felt he had been forced wide and briefly voiced his frustration on the radio before being told to refocus.
A second off‑track moment allowed Lando Norris to slip through, leaving Antonelli to finish third while Russell claimed his first Sprint win since Shanghai.
Antonelli described the session as a spectacle both inside and outside the cockpit: "The Sprint this morning was an intense race. There was a lot of action and I'm sure everyone watching enjoyed it!
"George and I raced each other hard, but we know where the limits are. We still scored good points in P3 and that was important for both me and the team."
Mercedes entered qualifying with a setup biased toward Sunday’s expected cooler, changeable weather. The trade‑off cost them some one‑lap sharpness, and both drivers struggled to bring the tyres into the correct operating window.
Antonelli’s final lap was strong enough to take provisional pole, but a small loss of time in the middle sector proved decisive. Russell, under pressure and lacking confidence earlier in the session, hooked up his final attempt to snatch pole by the narrowest of margins.
Antonelli broke down the challenge with characteristic clarity: "Qualifying was much trickier than Sprint Qualifying the day before. It was difficult to get the tyres in the working window and there was a little more time on the for sure.
"My final effort wasn't perfect, and I lost a little bit of time in sector two. I think that's definitely where I missed out on pole position. It's annoying to miss out on P1 by such a small margin but it's still a good result and gives us the chance to fight for victory tomorrow."
With rain likely and temperatures expected to drop, the Canadian Grand Prix may become a test of adaptability rather than outright pace. Crucially, if conditions turn wet, it will be the first time the 2026‑spec cars race in the rain—an unknown for every driver on the grid.
Antonelli acknowledged the unpredictability ahead: "The weather is looking uncertain tomorrow. There will likely be many unknowns, and it may be about keeping the car on the track and being ready for anything that is thrown our way.
"If we are racing in the wet, it will be the first time for everyone doing it in these cars so it will be an interesting experience," concluded Antonelli.
