George Russell landed a double blow on team-mate Kimi Antonelli in Montreal as the gloves came off in the F1 title fight.The 28-year-old beat his young team-mate to pole position by 0.068 seconds at the Canadian Gand Prix – the same margin as in sprint qualifying on Friday – after being accused of pushing Antonelli off the track in the earlier sprint race.Russell saved his best lap for the end to claim a fifth successive pole for Mercedes and his third in a row in Montreal, with McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri claiming third and fourth.The title scrap, which had been calm and civilised across the first four races, erupted during the sprint when Antonelli had to take to the grass after banging wheels when trying to overtake Russell at turn one.Follow live updates with The Independent at the Canadian Grand PrixPinnedWhat time is the race?The Canadian Grand Prix - with wet weather on the radar - is scheduled to start at 9pm BST.(PA)Kieran Jackson23 May 2026 22:56Canadian Grand Prix So, what will happen today? George Russell on pole, Kimi Antonelli in second - will they clash again after yesterday’s sprint? And will the weather play a part? Can McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull get in the mix? I sure do hope so! (PA)Kieran Jackson24 May 2026 20:55Mercedes boss Toto Wolff: “Very slippery. Good for us, more interesting. “What we’ve said is: race. Consider the other driver the competitor, not smooth sailing, won’t give each other a lot of room - that’s fine.”Kieran Jackson24 May 2026 20:53Lando Norris, who starts P3: “Conditions not very nice. It’s going to be interesting, I’ll just stay that. “When you have more grip, a car which gives you more confidence, that’s what they have over us.“Got to watch the Ferraris. We’ll do our best, make sure we’re there at the end of the race.”(PA)Kieran Jackson24 May 2026 20:50Max Verstappen who starts sixth:“Slippery when wet.” You do seriously surprise me, Max. Kieran Jackson24 May 2026 20:48Time for the Canadian national anthem: Gregory Charles and his choir Noveau sing the anthem on the grid, with Lance Stroll the sole Canadian representative out of the 22 drivers. Kieran Jackson24 May 2026 20:46Franco Colapinto: “It is very slippery.” Inters or slicks? Lando: “It’s going to be sliding.” Kieran Jackson24 May 2026 20:43Ex-F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya, speaking on the Montreal grid: “This will be an amazing race because of the conditions, being in the front here with no reference, so easy to make a mistake.”Kieran Jackson24 May 2026 20:39Drivers head out on intersNot sure how long these will last. Most of the drivers head out on the reconnaissance laps on intermediates, but it looks dry enough for slicks to me. Indeed, Max Verstappen the first to switch. Of course, they can switch their tyres right up to lights out. Kieran Jackson24 May 2026 20:34Top-10 driver standings ahead of Canada GP:1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - 106 points 2. George Russell (Mercedes) - 88 points 3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 63 points 4. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 58 points 5. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) - 54 points 6. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 48 points7. Max Verstappen Red Bull) - 28 points 8. Ollie Bearman (Haas) - 17 points 9. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) - 16 points10. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) - 10 points Kieran Jackson24 May 2026 20:30