Antonelli Claims Fourth Consecutive Win in Frantic Canadian Grand Prix

Kimi Antonelli has cemented his status as the man to beat in the 2026 Formula 1 season by taking his fourth consecutive victory at a breathless Canadian Grand Prix. The Mercedes teenager triumphed in a race defined by unpredictable weather, poor tyre gambles and an intensely fierce battle with his team mate George Russell.

The intra-team rivalry at the Silver Arrows completely ignited at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. After a clean start, Russell and Antonelli engaged in a sensational dogfight for the race lead that lasted for over 30 laps. The pair swapped positions multiple times, pushed each other to the absolute limit and suffered simultaneous lock-ups as they fought for track position.

How CLOSE was that?! 🤯

Russell takes the lead but Antonelli locks up and almost collides with his team mate! 👀#F1 #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/HOHpcP36L4

— Formula 1 (@F1) May 24, 2026

However, the thrilling spectacle came to an abrupt halt on Lap 31. Russell suffered a sudden loss of power and was forced to pull his car over to the side of the track. The British driver was visibly furious, slamming his fists on the nose of his car and throwing his headrest onto the track, an action that earned him a post-race investigation by the FIA stewards.

RUSSELL OUT ❌

Heading onboard as George Russell gets out of his stricken Mercedes ⬇️#F1 #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/cKzyCh0hgA

— Formula 1 (@F1) May 24, 2026

George Russell's race comes to an early end! 😱👇#F1 #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/49FKf4vIDx

— Formula 1 (@F1) May 24, 2026

With his primary challenger out of the race, Antonelli was left in a league of his own. The youngster expertly managed the resulting Virtual Safety Car periods and cruised to the chequered flag to extend his championship lead over Russell to a commanding 43 points.

McLaren’s inter gamble backfires

The drama in Montreal began before the lights even went out. With intermittent drizzle and freezing track temperatures, tyre choice was heavily split across the grid. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both opted for the intermediate tyres, a gamble that initially looked like a masterstroke.

Norris launched his McLaren from the second row to easily sweep past the slick-shod Mercedes duo and take the lead on the opening lap. Unfortunately for the papaya team, the rain completely stopped and the racing line dried almost immediately. Norris was forced into the pits by Lap 3, plummeting down the order.

It was the start of a nightmare afternoon for McLaren. Piastri collided with Williams’ Alex Albon to earn a 10-second time penalty before Norris eventually retired his car with a terminal gearbox issue in the closing stages.

Veterans clash for the podium

Behind the runaway Mercedes, the crowd was treated to a vintage battle between old rivals Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.

Verstappen drove a remarkably resilient race in his Red Bull. Despite heavily criticising the handling of his RB22 throughout the weekend, the Dutchman found himself running in the podium places and defending valiantly on aging medium tyres.

Hamilton overtakes Verstappen on the outside! 😮‍💨

This is how the move for the second spot on the podium unfolded… 👇#F1 #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/m0Md9UvUbc

— Formula 1 (@F1) May 24, 2026

Hamilton relentlessly stalked the Red Bull through the final stint. Despite complaining of a lack of straight-line engine power, the seven-time World Champion made a brilliant move around the outside of Turn 1 on Lap 62. Hamilton successfully held off Verstappen’s counter-attacks to secure second place and seal his best Grand Prix finish of the season.

Midfield chaos and penalties

Charles Leclerc quietly salvaged a strong fourth-place finish for Ferrari after a self-described «disastrous» qualifying session on Saturday. He finished ahead of Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar who crossed the line fifth despite racking up both a 10-second time penalty for weaving and a subsequent stop-and-go penalty for a yellow flag infringement.

Franco Colapinto delivered the drive of the day in the midfield. Despite missing all of Friday practice and nursing a broken front wing following a brush with the wall in the pit lane, the Alpine driver secured an incredible sixth place.

Liam Lawson held off a late charge from Pierre Gasly to take seventh for Racing Bulls with Carlos Sainz and Oliver Bearman rounding out the points-paying positions.

Canadian Grand Prix race classification

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