Hands up if you thought pole position in Montreal was already Max Verstappen’s after he narrowly edged out Oscar Piastri. Instead, with a late surge right at the end, it’s
George Russell who will start from the front—giving Mercedes their first pole position of the season (excluding the sprint pole taken by Kimi Antonelli in Miami).
The British driver stopped the clock at 1:10.899, finishing 0.160 seconds ahead of his much-disliked rival—and the only one to break the 1:11.000 barrier.
The qualifying result understandably left a bitter taste for Verstappen fans, while Russell and Mercedes supporters are surely over the moon. So let’s take a look at some of the best and funnies reactions from users on social media after the session came to an end.