Russell hails Canada pole lap as ‘one of the most exhilarating of my life’ as he looks ahead to fight with Verstappen

George Russell was left thrilled by what he deemed “one of the most exhilarating laps of my life” after taking pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix, with the Briton hinting that he’s ready to be aggressive as he prepares to line up alongside Max Verstappen.

An exciting finale to Q3 at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve saw McLaren’s Oscar Piastri go quickest in the final runs before Verstappen went even faster – but Russell was the one to ultimately grab pole as he pumped in a time of 1m 10.899s, putting him 0.160s clear of Verstappen.

READ MORE: Russell beats Verstappen and Piastri to pole in thrilling Qualifying for Canadian GP

With the result marking the second year in a row that Russell will start from P1 on the grid in Montreal, the Mercedes driver could not hide his delight as he reflected back on his session after jumping out of the car.

“Today was awesome in front of this amazing crowd,” smiled Russell. “To be honest that last lap was probably one of the most exhilarating laps of my life, because on my steering wheel you've got the delta and I just saw every corner I was going one-tenth quicker, one-tenth quicker.

“I got into the last corner and I was six-tenths up and I was like, ‘this lap is mighty’, and crossing the line seeing we were P1 was a real surprise but I was so chuffed with it.”

HIGHLIGHTS: Russell snatches Canada pole ahead of Verstappen and Piastri

As was the case in 2024, Russell will be joined on the front row of the grid by Verstappen – a driver that he has shared some recent history with, the pair having been involved in a collision last time out in Spain that resulted in Verstappen receiving a 10-second time penalty.

Asked about having the World Champion alongside him, Russell responded: “We're mates, so it's all good.”

And when pushed on his approach and whether he will be fighting for the win on Sunday, the 27-year-old seemed to jokingly reference the fact that Verstappen is now only one penalty point away from a one-race suspension.

AS IT HAPPENED: Russell takes stunning pole position for Canadian GP

“I've got a few more points on my licence to play with, so let's see,” Russell quipped.