Antonelli shakes up the Championship in Canada following Russell’s retirement

The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve once again proved why it is one of the most unpredictable venues on the calendar. The threat of rain dominated the build-up and triggered one of the race’s key strategic calls: McLaren opted for intermediate tyres for Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, while much of the grid started on slicks. The decision appeared inspired for only a matter of metres — Norris even briefly took the lead at the start thanks to the extra grip — but additional formation laps and the rapid improvement of track conditions quickly turned the gamble into a costly mistake. Both drivers were forced to pit in the opening stages, and McLaren’s race unravelled from that point. Norris ultimately retired with transmission issues, while Piastri finished outside the points after receiving a penalty for contact with Alex Albon. The reigning Constructors’ Champions leave Montreal empty-handed in an unexpected setback.

The race then evolved into an intra-team battle between George Russell and Kimi Antonelli. The Briton appeared to have the weekend under control after securing pole position, winning the sprint, and leading much of Sunday’s race, but everything changed on lap 31 when a mechanical failure forced him to retire. Antonelli inherited the lead and made no mistake. The Italian secured his fourth consecutive victory, extending his advantage over Russell in the Championship to 43 points. At just 19 years of age, he continues to rewrite the record books: he is now the first driver in history to win his first four Formula 1 races consecutively, confirming that Mercedes has found the benchmark of the current season.

Behind them, Lewis Hamilton delivered his best result of the year with Ferrari, finishing second after overtaking Max Verstappen in the closing laps, while the Dutchman returned to the podium for the first time since the Red Bull Ford rebrand following a series of challenging races for the team. Charles Leclerc also briefly led the race before losing pace in the decisive stages. Among the Spanish drivers, Carlos Sainz once again scored points with a solid ninth-place finish for Williams — his second consecutive points finish — in what was a difficult weekend for the Grove-based team, while Fernando Alonso retired due to seat-related issues in his Aston Martin.

Final Classification

This was the final result of the Canada Gran Prix:

Posición	Piloto	País	Equipo	Time
1	Kimi Antonelli		Mercerdes	1:28:15.758
2	Lewis Hamilton		Ferrari	+10.768s
3	Max Verstappen		Red Bull Racing	+11.276s
4	Charles Leclerc		Ferrari	+44.151s
5	Isack Hadjar		Red bull Racing	+1 lap
6	Franco Colapinto		Alpine	+1 lap
7	Liam Lawson		Racing Bulls	+1 lap
8	Pierre Gasly		Alpine	+1 lap
9	Carlos Sainz		Williams	+1 lap
10	Oliver Bearman		Haas F1 Team	+53.753s