George Russell cracked two jokes about Max Verstappen during his post-qualifying interview after pipping his rival to pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix. The Mercedes man will be looking for revenge on Sunday after the dramatic crash at the Spanish Grand Prix last time out.

Verstappen looked destined to secure a dominant pole position on medium compound tyres before Russell snuck his way through on his final run. Oscar Piastri will start behind in third, while championship rival Lando Norris could only put his McLaren on the fourth row of the grid.

Despite sharing a handshake with Verstappen after climbing out of the cockpit, Russell opted to provoke his rival with some jokes in a post-session interview with Jacques Villeneuve. “We’re mates, so it’s all good,” he replied with a smile when asked about starting alongside the Dutchman.

Villeneuve then asked whether or not Russell would fight Verstappen aggressively in the Grand Prix. “I’ve got a few more points on my licence to play with,” he fired back in a cheeky response. “Let’s see.”

The reigning world champion is treading a tightrope with two races remaining before some of his 11 penalty points are wiped from his FIA super license. Passing this milestone would earn him a one-race suspension that would deal a deadly blow to his title challenge.

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