Max to start Canadian Grand Prix from P6: 'I don't know what was going on'

Published on 23 May 2026 by Florence Cobben

Max Verstappen has qualified sixth ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix. The Dutchman struggled through a tough session where he wrestled with the pace of the car and getting the tyres to the right temperature. While Mercedes impressed with a dominant closing stint, it was George Russell who claimed pole ahead of teammate Kimi Antonelli. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will be in their rearview mirrors on the second row.

Max shared some of his thoughts with the press after qualifying: “Truthfully, I don’t know what was going on in qualifying. It was very strange,” he began to explain. “Every lap felt like I kept going slower on the straights.” The four-time champion also mentioned that changes to the setup had had limited effect: “It was somewhat better over the kerbs and bumps, but it also meant I lost downforce. In the end, that does work against you.”

Getting the tyres to the right temperature was another struggle: “Because you’re slower coming into certain turns, the points at which you brake also change. That doesn’t help at all.”

In anticipation of qualifying, Oracle Red Bull Racing also tried some different setups with the car: “I tried something with the car – that’s what the team wanted. So I said: ‘Go ahead.’ But it’s clear to me now that it was the wrong choice.”

With rain expected for Sunday, Max is not anticipating an easy race: “It’s already hard enough to keep the slicks in good condition across one lap. In Barcelona, it was already difficult to get the wet tyres working. So that’s a problem I’m anticipating.”

It’s 22 degrees Celsius at the start of qualifying, with a track temperature of 30 degrees (similar to the conditions of the sprint race held earlier). The action starts right away: Franco Colapinto slams on the brakes in the pit lane as Fernando Alonso is released right in front of him. The incident is flagged for investigation. Aston Martin in general seems to have got out of bed on the wrong foot, as Lance Stroll is later flagged for also being released under unsafe conditions.

Max’s opening bid for pole is a lap time of 1:14.609, quickly followed by a 1:14.067, which is temporarily good enough for first place. Moments later, the drivers at Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari all improve on his time. Lindblad and teammate Hadjar are also faster, demoting Max down to P9. The Dutchman doesn’t go for another lap, and it doesn’t seem necessary. He finishes Q1 with a seven-tenths gap to Antonelli, while Bottas, Stroll, Pérez, Alonso, Albon and Ocon are the first drivers eliminated from the session.

Once Q2 commences, after an aborted attempt, Max puts in a 1:13.479 lap time, making him the sixth-fastest man on the grid. Over the team radio, he shares that he’s having trouble getting his tyres up to temperature. In the meantime, Hadjar puts in a strong performance and ends up P3, two-tenths faster than Max. Max doesn’t improve on his final lap of Q2. Childhood rival Leclerc also struggles and finishes Q2 in ninth place. Hadjar keeps his form and finishes the session with a 1:12.975 lap time to his name. Meanwhile, the spectators bid adieu to Bearman, Sainz, Gasly, Bortoleto, Lawson and Hülkenberg.

Max is the first in Q3 to put in a lap: 1:13.473. Provisional pole is not his for long, and the Dutchman quickly drops to P6. Over the team radio, he complains about lacking pace. Russell is the last to put down a time and lands in third place, about three-tenths behind Norris. Max doesn’t manage to improve on his first attempt, leaving him stranded in seventh. Antonelli, meanwhile, claims provisional pole with a 1:12.646 lap time, while Norris doesn’t manage to improve. Hadjar is briefly ahead of Max in sixth, but has to hand the place back to him after Max marginally improves his time in his third Q3 stint. This is when George Russell comes sailing over the finish line to claim pole, ultimately six-hundredths of a second faster than his teammate. The McLarens start on the second row, with Norris in P3 and Piastri in P4.

Results qualifying Canada: