In a thoroughly surprising Canadian GP qualifying, Mercedes’ George Russell grabbed the pole. The Briton also lit up the Circuit Giles Villeneuve in its aftermath by giving out an iconic pose that hasn’t been seen in F1 for a long time.
In the 2023 pre-race intro graphics, Russell stood with his ‘hands out’ and head bent downwards; a t-pose of sorts. It gave rise to multiple ‘memes’ and the F1 community photoshopped that image into some of the most unforeseen situations.
george: its been a while! it had to make a comeback! people were disappointed it wasnt in the intro, so special occasions this will come out for
he got asked about doing last years intro pose as a celebration. he is so pic.twitter.com/zuqHzmwXan
— nini (@SCUDERIAFEMBOY) June 8, 2024
Russell could have brought out the t-pose during the post-race celebrations in 2023 itself. But he didn’t have any chance to do so owing to Mercedes’ underperformance.
the george russell pose is getting out of control pic.twitter.com/bqkmBmw35k
— k ❁ (@honey_ricc) April 20, 2024
Thankfully, 2024 has given Russell an opportunity. He got P1 in qualifying in Montreal, and brought out the t-pose celebration, much to the delight of the millions watching across the world. “It had to make a comeback,” said Russell to Viaplay. “People were disappointed it wasn’t in the intro. So special occasions, this will come out.”
The T pose is back. pic.twitter.com/D9LrtSX27p
— George Russell (@GeorgeRussell63) June 8, 2024
The next step for Russell now would be to recreate this pose on the podium on Sunday which is very much in the cards.
George Russell and Mercedes’ chances of winning in Canada
Mercedes looked fast in FP3, and Russell capitalized on the W15’s pace on Saturday to finish P1 in qualifying. He put in the same time as Max Verstappen (1:12.00) in Q3 but edged him out in the starting order.
Verstappen’s threat will make Russell wary, but this is the best position Mercedes has been in all season, and would place their bets on a podium finish; maybe even a win.
We’ve got some work ahead of us tomorrow #CanadianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/xheIX1ikqv
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) June 8, 2024
Red Bull was expected to struggle in Canada, and Sergio Perez did, as he crashed out of Q1. So, Russell and Lewis Hamilton (who starts P7) will only have one Red Bull to deal with in the front of the grid.
McLaren too, appears to be in the mix. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will start from P3 and P4 respectively, putting further pressure on Russell.
The biggest disappointment of Saturday, however, was Ferrari. Expected to be one of the favorites for winning the outing, Ferrari could manage only P10 and P11. The others at the front will be relieved at the Maranello-based outfit’s shortcomings in qualifying.
