Canadian GP Saturday Review: Drama in Montreal!

Harry Benjamin· Host0:00

[upbeat music] 5 Live Formula 1. [engine roaring] Well, we have just come off the checkered flag at the end of qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix, and spoiler alert, pole position goes to George Russell, with Kimi Antonelli locking out the front row for Mercedes. And that's the end of a, a really jam-packed sprint Saturday in Montreal. I'm Harry Benjamin. I'm joined, uh, alongside the former McLaren mechanic, Mark Priestley. [inhales] Take in today, how are you summing it all up? We've had a lot.

Mark Priestley· Guest0:34

It has been a lot. It's been busy. I mean, when you just read that out, what you just said there, George Russell on pole, Kimi Antonelli alongside him on the front row, sounds pretty sort of mundane and boring, doesn't it? It's like a normal service has been resumed, but it really doesn't tell the tale of what happened today because it's been nip and tuck everywhere. We've had changes of position. The sprint was just chaotic from start to finish. Two Mercedes collided at one point, ran each other off the racetrack. George Russell in qualifying was absolutely nowhere until the final lap, so it was an impossible one to predict. The result may look familiar, but the story behind it is anything but.

Harry Benjamin· Host1:09

No, clearly the dominance of, of Mercedes is continuing. They brought a big upgrade this weekend, which seems to really be, uh, paying off. But, I mean, the story of Saturday has got to be the sprint race and the dynamics now between George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, both vying for their first ever world championships,