Russell achieves the closest pole of the World Championship with Alonso sixth

Verstappen did the same time but will start second in Canada

Carlos Sainz failed Q3 and will start twelfth

MADRID, 8 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The English driver George Russell (Mercedes) took pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix, the ninth round of the World Championship, with the same time as the Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull), while the Spanish Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) and Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) will start sixth and twelfth.

Russell took his first pole of the season in a tremendous battle in Q3 to the checkered flag. The Briton was the first to set the 1:12,000 that the current world champion and Championship leader would later do, and that is why the Mercedes took first position on the grid. Meanwhile, Sergio Pérez had left the other Red Bull in Q1.

Third at the start this Sunday will be the Englishman Lando Norris, winner in Miami and second in Italy, ahead of his teammate Oscar Piastri, second in Monaco, again the McLaren among the best, while the surprise was the fifth place of the Australian Daniel Ricciardo (RB).

For his part, Fernando Alonso made up for his recent qualifying struggles with a great sixth place on the grid at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The Spaniard, half a second faster than his teammate, Lance Stroll ninth, was less than two tenths away from the ‘Top 3’. Englishman Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) was seventh.

The qualifying session was tough for Ferrari, when they were coming off a first and third place finish at the Monaco Grand Prix. Both red cars were left out of Q3 and Charles Leclerc will start eleventh and Carlos Sainz, in the midst of increasingly intense rumors about his future team, will start twelfth.