Oscar Piastri to start from third at Canadian Formula 1 Grand Prix

Oscar Piastri missed out on a spot in the front row but is still in prime position to extend his lead in the drivers championship.

Australia’s Oscar Piastri has a golden opportunity to extend his lead in the Formula One world championship after outdriving his error-prone McLaren team mate Lando Norris to qualify third for Monday morning’s Canadian Grand Prix.

For the 10th time in as many rounds this season, the ultra-consistent Piastri overcame some teething problems during practice to put his McLaren within the first two rows of the grid after delivering his best flying lap of the weekend just when he needed it.

“After how practice went, I’m pretty happy with myself at the moment. It was a nice turnaround,” Piastri said.

“Practice was pretty miserable so I just wanted to have a clean run through qualifying, not introduce any variables that could have made things even more difficult.

“That’s what we stuck to. I think it’s been a strength of ours so far this year - sticking to our guns and doing what we think is best for us.”

George Russell claimed his first pole position of 2025 for Mercedes with a lap he described as the ‘most exhilarating’ of his life while four-time world champion Max Verstappen joined him on the front row after qualifying second in his Red Bull, setting the stage for an explosive sprint to the first corner.

The pair have history and with Verstappen already on an official warning after crashing into Russell at the last race in Spain, he was unimpressed when questioned by journalists about whether there may be a repeat at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.

“I don’t need to hear it again. It’s really pissing me off,” the Dutchman growled.

“It’s such a waste of time. It’s very childish. I don’t want to say too much because it’s really annoying, this world that we live in.”

George Russell (centre) will start first on the grid, ahead of Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri. Picture: Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP

Russell, who was embroiled in a war of words with Verstappen last year, said he was expecting a clean race this time.

“We’re mates so it’s all good, I’ve got a few more points on my license to play with so yeah let’s see,” he joked in his on-track interview.

Later, at the official news conference, the Englishman said it would be business as usual with everyone just going flat in pursuit of victory.

“I don’t think any driver goes out looking to crash into somebody and get penalty points on your licence. Max is one of the best drivers. There’s no reason for him to race any differently,” Russell said.

“I’m not sitting here thinking he’s going to give us more room. If anything, probably the opposite to try and prove a point. So I’ll be keeping an eye, but ultimately, we’re all here to win.

“You’re not going to do something that’s going to jeopardise yourself from the race. It’s a busy season as well. If you get a race ban, you get a race ban and spend some time at home. It’s not ideal, but it’s not the end of the world.”

Piastri’s closest championship rival Norris qualified only seventh for the 70-lap race after making another blunder in qualifying, boosting the Aussie’s hopes of building on his 10 point lead in the drivers’ standings as the 24-round championship heads towards the halfway stage.

“It’s not ideal, just too many mistakes, I hit the wall in the last lap,” a dejected Norris said.

“I’ve got confidence, the car felt good, I just made too many mistakes.”

With the title race already looming as a head-to-head battle between the pair, Piastri’s first priority will be to bank as many points as he can and try to finish ahead of Norris, but he also isn’t ruling out his sixth victory of the season on a track that traditionally doesn’t suit the McLarens.

But while eight of the nine races in 2025 have been won by drivers starting on the front row of the grid, Piastri broke the mould when he took the chequered flag at the Miami Grand Prix from fourth.

“I’m not going to race any differently. I’m not going to take any less risk, any more risk. I’m certainly not going to do anything different. I’ll race as I always race,” he said.

“Our pace on race days is generally where we’re strong. These two next to me were very quick in the race runs, so it’s certainly not going to be a slam dunk win, but I think we’re definitely in the fight.”

Piastri will start on the second row alongside Russell’s Mercedes team mate Kimi Antonelli while former world champions Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) will line up directly behind them.

Originally published as Oscar Piastri to start from third at Canadian Formula 1 Grand Prix