Kimi Antonelli secured a record-breaking victory in the Canadian Grand Prix after a shock power unit failure for George Russell handed the Italian a significant 43-point championship advantage.
The Mercedes duo battled relentlessly across the opening laps before Russell retired on lap 30 while leading in Montreal.
Russell’s retirement allowed Antonelli to win comfortably ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Antonelli’s victory also saw him become the first driver to win his opening four Formula 1 races consecutively.
It was a disastrous race for McLaren, which had locked out the second row, with the papaya cars having started on intermediate tyres despite the circuit being dry. Lando Norris later retired with a mechanical issue of his own.
Retirements galore in opening stages; Russell shock PU failure
Light drizzle at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve caused a tyre conundrum ahead of the race, with both McLaren drivers opting for intermediate tyres.
Oscar Piastri quickly bemoaned the decision as a mistake, with the circuit predominantly dry. Two extra formation laps — after Arvid Lindblad found himself stranded on the grid and out of the race as a result — allowed the circuit to dry further.
Once the lights finally went out, it was Lando Norris who made the best start, launching from third into first, while George Russell dropped to third.
However, McLaren’s tyre choice immediately backfired, as Piastri pitted at the end of the opening lap, with Norris stopping a lap later, dropping both drivers deep into the midfield.
It left Kimi Antonelli in the lead ahead of Russell, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc. The lead changed dramatically at the end of lap six, as Russell overtook Antonelli into the final chicane, only for the Italian to suffer a huge lock-up and almost drive into the back of his teammate. Somehow, contact was avoided.
Following Russell’s move, the two Mercedes drivers broke away from those behind, led by Verstappen after he overtook Hamilton at the first corner on lap nine. Hamilton immediately complained of a lack of power.
In similar fashion to the Sprint, once the Mercedes duo broke away, they began battling each other relentlessly, resulting in multiple position changes.
Meanwhile, the race worsened for Piastri, who struck Alexander Albon. It forced Albon out of the race and sent Piastri into the pits for repairs — the Australian also received a 10-second time penalty. On lap 16, Norris was forced to pit again due to a reliability issue.
The battle between the Mercedes pair continued, with Antonelli reclaiming the lead at the final chicane at the end of lap 22. It was short-lived, however, as a mistake at the hairpin two laps later handed Russell the lead once more.
The pair went side by side into the final chicane and made slight contact, resulting in Antonelli skipping across the chicane and emerging ahead of Russell. However, he was immediately instructed to hand the lead back, which he did.
Further back, a reliability issue on lap 27 forced Fernando Alonso to retire from the race, becoming the third retiree. On lap 30, the race was turned on its head as Russell suddenly stopped on the exit of Turn 9 while leading, suffering a shock retirement following a power unit failure on his Mercedes.
Race report continues below!
Antonelli cruises to victory; Hamilton and Verstappen brawl
A Virtual Safety Car was deployed to allow Russell’s car to be safely recovered, resulting in almost every driver pitting. As his car was recovered, Russell could only watch on while shaking his head.
It left Antonelli with a comfortable lead ahead of Verstappen and Hamilton. The retirements continued, as did McLaren’s disastrous Sunday, with Norris first retiring due to a mechanical issue before Sergio Pérez retired with a bizarre problem of his own. The number of retirees rose to six.
Russell’s retirement allowed Antonelli to cruise clear, but a battle for second emerged between old rivals Verstappen and Hamilton. The latter had been several seconds behind the Dutchman but closed to within one second on lap 55.
Hamilton had significantly stronger pace than Verstappen and moved ahead on lap 62 with a spectacular move around the outside of the first corner. The trio completed the podium ahead of Leclerc and Isack Hadjar, who received several penalties during the race.
The top 10 was completed by: Franco Colapinto, Liam Lawson, Pierre Gasly, Carlos Sainz and Oliver Bearman.
