Twelfth placed qualifier Liam Lawson is interviewed ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, in Montreal, Quebec.
Photo: GETTY IMAGES/AFP
New Zealand racing driver Liam Lawson is frustrated with his twelfth-place starting spot on the grid for Monday morning’s (NZT) Formula One Grand Prix, believing his car was quick enough to qualify higher.
Lawson finished eleventh in the sprint race earlier on Sunday for Racing Bulls – an impressive result given he started at the back of the grid due to major technical problems in practice.
The 24-year-old pulled off seven passes in the 23-lap race to narrowly miss a top-10 finish.
However, it was a top-10 spot on the main race grid that was in his sights, leaving him regretting his inability to follow team-mate Arvid Lindblad into the next tier of qualifiers. Lindblad, who finished eighth in the sprint, qualified ninth fastest for the big race.
“The car is really fast this weekend, so it’s a shame to not put both cars in Q3,” Lawson said. “I was still trying to catch up after yesterday and it was more difficult than expected.”
The Racing Bulls team work on Liam Lawson’s car in the pitlane during qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix, in Montreal, Quebec, 23 May 2026.
Photo: GETTY IMAGES/AFP
“At the start of qualifying, I struggled a bit with the warm-up on the soft tyre. I also had some front locking and it meant that I ended up putting a lot of pressure on myself during the last push lap to try and get through.
“We came very close, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough. Let’s see what happens tomorrow; we have a quick car on the dry, but I also wouldn’t mind having some rain, considering where we start.
“These cars are hard to drive in the wet, so if it rains as expected, it will be an interesting race.”
George Russell takes pole, wins sprint
George Russell snatched pole position from championship-leading Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli with a last-gasp lap in the final qualifying session, Reuters reported.
Russell, winner of the day’s earlier sprint race from pole, crossed the line 0.068 of a second faster than the Italian, right at the end of the session after the 19-year-old had gone quicker than everyone else.
“That is the most exhilarating feeling in the world when it comes last minute out of nowhere,” the Briton said on the team radio after a whoop of joy. “We made that a bit tricky.”
McLaren’s Lando Norris, the reigning champion, will start in third place on Sunday with Australian teammate Oscar Piastri alongside, for what could be a wet race with race director Rui Marques declaring a ‘Rain Hazard’.
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton qualified fifth, but is facing an inquiry for alleged impeding, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen sixth and frustrated at a lack of straight-line speed.
“I have no idea what is going on. I don’t really have a lot of words,” said the Dutch four-times world champion.
“Everything is so confusing. I also didn’t like the set-up change we made. I think [Sunday] will be chaos regardless of the weather.”
Mercedes driver George Russell, right, shows his plaque after winning the Canadian Grand Prix sprint race, with second placed Lando Norris, centre, and third-placed driver Kimi Antonelli, left, in Montreal, Canada, on May 23, 2026
Photo: AFP
The pole was a third in a row in Canada for Russell, who converted the position into victory at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve last year, and whose team have brought a major car upgrade to Montreal.
It had not looked at all certain minutes earlier when the Briton aborted his first attempt to return to the pits and was still to set a time with six minutes to go. He then went out and did two flying laps, sealing pole with the second.
Russell had not figured in the top three in the two previous qualifying phases, with Antonelli – the winner of the last three grands prix and 18 points clear of Russell in the standings – top in Q1 and Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar fastest in Q2.
“That last lap came from nowhere,” said the Mercedes driver. “It was such a great feeling when it was such a challenging session and you pull it all together on that last lap to throw yourselves up the leaderboard is epic.
“Kimi was more competitive than I, and we weren’t as clear ahead of everyone else as yesterday, so it was a challenge but I redialled my driving and put it together.”
Hadjar will start seventh alongside Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Lindblad qualified ninth with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto, finally finding some form after a breakthrough weekend in Miami, will start tenth.
Antonelli, who was fuming after the sprint race and suggested Russell should be penalised, sounded calmer after the session.
“I am pretty happy,” he said. “There was still a little bit left on the table but George did a great lap and all eyes on tomorrow.”
Reuters, with additional reporting by RNZ