George Russell praised Lewis Hamilton for helping improve at Circuit Gills Villeneuve after securing consecutive Formula 1 pole positions in Canada.
Russell produced a great rap in qualifying at the Canadian Grand Prix, beating Max Verstappen in the pole position.
The British driver took pole positions at the Canadian Grand Prix in 2024 and 2025.
After qualifying, Russell explained that learning from Hamilton is key to an improved form in Montreal.
Hamilton has an incredible record in Canada, winning the past seven opportunities.
In an interview with TSN, Russell said:
“He was always very strong, he was a goat, he was a Montreal goat of the past, which helped me to get another level here.
Russell joined forces as Mercedes teammates to kick out Hamilton in two seasons (2022 and 2024).
Russell has also become his second teammate – Nico Rosberg is another – to out-up Hamilton during the season.
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Russell began the Grand Prix from pole position and now the attention is on the race.
He clashes at the Spanish Grand Prix alongside his main nemesis, Verstappen.
Russell overtook Verstappen on Turn 1 following a restart of the Safety Car.
Russell has too much speed on the corner, so Verstappen went big, but the Red Bull driver was instructed to cut the truck and go ahead.
Verstappen was troubled by the instructions and later proved wrong and clashed with Russell.
The four-time F1 World Champion was hit by a 10-second penalty, dropping him from fourth to tenth.
Verstappen was also awarded three penalty points, earning 11 points overall.
If Verstappen hits 12, he is forced to serve the ban on one race.
After qualifying at Parc Ferme, Russell mentioned the situation of Verstappen’s penalty point and was asked about a potential head-to-head fight to turn 1.
“There are a few more points in the license to play with the license, so let’s take a look,” Russell said.
