Antonelli strengthens lead after Russell retires at Canadian Grand Prix. Kimi Antonelli won the Canadian Grand Prix and extended his championship lead. George Russell retired due to a mechanical failure, and the fight for the podium ended with an unexpected reshuffle. Read our race summary for the full story.
At the Canadian Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli claimed his fourth consecutive victory, strengthening his lead in the drivers' standings by taking advantage of technical problems suffered by his Mercedes teammate. George Russell was forced to stop on lap 30 due to a power unit failure, which ended the tense duel between the team's drivers and cost Mercedes a chance at a double podium.
Early in the race, it was the battle between Russell and Antonelli that set the pace, with both drivers swapping positions multiple times and their on-track incidents drawing the attention of the stewards. However, after the Briton's retirement, the race became one-sided for Mercedes: the Virtual Safety Car allowed most rivals to pit, while Antonelli maintained a confident advantage over his pursuers.
Second place went to Lewis Hamilton, who overtook Max Verstappen in the closing laps. For the seven-time champion, this is his best result for Ferrari this season. Verstappen, despite the pressure, held on to third and made his first podium appearance of the year. Charles Leclerc finished fourth, while Isack Hadjar rounded out the top five for Red Bull.
The top 10 also included Franco Colapinto (Alpine), Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls), Pierre Gasly (Alpine), Carlos Sainz (Williams), and Ollie Bearman (Haas). McLaren's tire strategy failed: Oscar Piastri finished out of the points, and Lando Norris retired due to gearbox issues. Other retirements included Sergio Perez (Cadillac) with a suspension failure, Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) due to a seat malfunction, Alex Albon (Williams) after contact with Piastri, and Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) who did not start because of clutch problems.
Among the teams, Alpine and Haas managed to score points, while Audi was limited to 12th and 13th place. Williams and Aston Martin finished empty-handed, despite efforts by Sainz and Stroll to break into the points. As russpain.com notes, other racing series have had their own share of surprises — for example, Jacobo Senín recently claimed a confident victory at Subida a Vilar de Barrio, leaving his rivals behind (details about the race in Galicia).
The Canadian Grand Prix is traditionally considered one of the most challenging races of the season due to unpredictable weather and the peculiarities of the Montreal circuit. In 2026, the battle for the Formula 1 title remains intense: after this victory, Antonelli’s lead in the championship has reached 43 points. The next stage could once again shift the balance of power, especially if Mercedes resolves its technical issues and Ferrari and Red Bull continue to gain momentum.
