2026 Canadian GP starting grid with Late penalties applied… see details in the comments
The sprint race for the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix is set to take place today, Saturday, May 23, at the famous Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, with Mercedes locking out the front row after an impressive qualifying performance on Friday.
George Russell produced a brilliant lap to secure sprint pole position, giving Mercedes a major boost heading into the short-format race. The British driver answered recent pressure from team-mate Kimi Antonelli in style, ensuring the Silver Arrows start first and second on the grid. Antonelli continued his impressive rookie campaign by qualifying alongside Russell on the front row, highlighting Mercedes’ strong pace around the Montreal circuit.
Behind the Mercedes pair, Lando Norris claimed third place for McLaren, while championship contender Oscar Piastri secured fourth. McLaren once again demonstrated excellent consistency, with both drivers positioned near the front and ready to challenge for sprint race points.
Ferrari also enjoyed a competitive qualifying session. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton managed to outpace his team-mate Charles Leclerc to take fifth place on the grid, while Leclerc qualified sixth. Hamilton had attempted to challenge the Mercedes drivers for pole position during sprint qualifying but ultimately fell short as Russell delivered the fastest lap of the session.
Defending world champion Max Verstappen could only manage seventh for Red Bull, with team-mate Isack Hadjar lining up eighth. Red Bull appeared to struggle for outright pace compared to Mercedes and McLaren during the qualifying session, leaving Verstappen with work to do in the sprint race.
Further down the order, Arvid Lindblad impressed by qualifying ninth for Racing Bulls, while Carlos Sainz rounded out the top ten for Williams.
Audi’s new Formula 1 project continued to show signs of progress, with Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto securing 11th and 12th places respectively. Alpine’s Franco Colapinto qualified 13th, ahead of Haas drivers Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman.
Aston Martin endured a difficult session, with Fernando Alonso only managing 16th position and home favourite Lance Stroll down in 18th. Cadillac drivers Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas qualified 17th and 20th respectively.
The back row of the sprint grid features Alex Albon in 21st for Williams and Liam Lawson in 22nd for Racing Bulls.
The sprint race is scheduled to begin at 12:00 p.m. local time in Montreal. Fans in the United Kingdom can watch the start at 5:00 p.m. BST, while viewers in Central Europe will see lights out at 6:00 p.m. CEST. In Nigeria and South Africa, the race starts at 6:00 p.m. local time. Fans in India can tune in at 9:30 p.m. IST, while viewers in Japan will need to stay up until 1:00 a.m. on Sunday morning.
Broadcast coverage will be available worldwide through several major networks. In the United Kingdom, coverage is provided by Sky Sports, while viewers across Africa can watch through SuperSport. Other broadcasters include DAZN in Japan and Spain, TSN and RDS in Canada, ESPN across Latin America, and beIN SPORTS in several Middle Eastern regions.