Kimi Antonelli keeps it cool to win eventful Canadian Grand Prix

The start of the Canadian Grand Prix was delayed after two extra formation laps. The delay came when Arvid Lindblad’s Racing Bulls car got stuck in gear on the grid, forcing the drivers to go around again. A second extra formation lap followed soon after, meaning the race was shortened to 68 laps.

There was already plenty of discussion before the lights went out, as several drivers gambled on intermediate tyres in the mixed conditions. Both McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri started on intermediates, while others around them chose slick tyres. Piastri even reported over the radio before the start that he wanted to switch to dry tyres.

When the race finally began, Norris made a brilliant launch from the second row and swept into the lead at the opening corners. Behind him, Andrea Kimi Antonelli also passed George Russell, meaning the polesitter dropped from first to third almost immediately.

The changing conditions quickly forced drivers into the pits. Piastri stopped at the end of Lap 2 for slick tyres, while Norris followed a lap later. Their pit stops handed Antonelli the race lead, with Russell putting immediate pressure on his young Mercedes teammate. Russell looked for a move into Turn 1, but Antonelli managed to hold him off around the outside.

Further back, there were several big early gainers. Fernando Alonso and Ollie Bearman both climbed five places in the opening laps, while Franco Colapinto, Liam Lawson and Pierre Gasly also moved into the top 10. Alonso briefly ran in the points before Gasly overtook him at Turn 13.

Norris meanwhile struggled to warm up his medium tyres after his stop. On Lap 4 he suffered a big snap of oversteer through the Turn 4/5 chicane, dropping him down to 14th place, with Piastri just behind him.

A scary moment for Mercedes fans came on Lap 6. Russell attacked Antonelli for the lead and completed the move, but the Italian locked up heavily into the final chicane at Turns 13 and 14. Antonelli was forced to take to the escape road and came dangerously close to hitting his Mercedes team-mate in what could easily have been a huge accident. Russell emerged in front after the dramatic exchange.

The race then settled into a battle at the front between the two Mercedes drivers. George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli traded the lead several times as the young Italian continued to put his teammate under huge pressure.

On Lap 9, Max Verstappen moved past Lewis Hamilton for third place at Turn 1 after Hamilton reported a loss of power over the radio. Hamilton stayed close behind, though, and remained in the fight for the podium places.

Meanwhile, Lando Norris began recovering from McLaren’s early tyre gamble. By Lap 12 he had fought his way back into the points after overtaking Ollie Bearman and Pierre Gasly in quick succession.

The battle between the Mercedes pair became more intense as the race went on. Russell made a mistake at the hairpin on Lap 12, allowing Antonelli through on the straight, but the Briton immediately fought back and retook the lead into the final chicane. A few laps later, Russell locked up again at Turn 10, giving Antonelli another chance to attack. The Italian pulled alongside around the outside, but Russell held on in a thrilling wheel-to-wheel fight.

There was drama elsewhere too. Oscar Piastri collided with Alex Albon at the Turn 10 hairpin, putting the Williams driver out of the race and bringing out yellow flags. Piastri was later given a 10-second penalty for the incident. Norris also suffered more problems when he returned to the pits on Lap 16 with a reliability issue. Although McLaren managed to send him back out quickly, he dropped back to 14th place and was eventually lapped.

At the front, the Mercedes fight continued to swing back and forth. Antonelli grabbed the lead on Lap 22 after Russell was delayed while lapping Valtteri Bottas. The teenager then defended strongly, but another dramatic moment followed on Lap 25. Russell got back ahead after Antonelli ran deep into Turn 10, only for the Italian to cut across the final chicane and retake the position. Mercedes immediately ordered Antonelli to give the place back, though he questioned the decision over team radio after claiming Russell had forced him wide.

Further down the field, Fernando Alonso’s impressive recovery drive came to an early end when the Aston Martin driver retired and returned to the garage on Lap 27 after gaining several places at the start.

The fight between the Mercedes team-mates came to a sudden end on Lap 30 when George Russell pulled off the track at the Turn 8/9 chicane with smoke pouring from his car. The Briton climbed out immediately and looked furious, with replays later confirming a power unit failure on the Mercedes. A Virtual Safety Car was deployed, allowing much of the field to make pit stops without losing too much time.

Russell’s retirement completely changed the race at the front. Antonelli inherited the lead ahead of Max Verstappen, while Lewis Hamilton stayed in third place, although already several seconds behind the leading pair.

The race remained hectic behind them. Charles Leclerc spent several laps trying to pass Isack Hadjar in the fight for fourth place, with the Ferrari driver unhappy about Hadjar’s defensive moves on the straights. Their battle finally ended on Lap 39 when Leclerc got a much stronger run down the back straight and completed the move before Turn 13. Hadjar’s defending later came under investigation for making more than one change of direction.

McLaren’s difficult afternoon became even worse. Norris had briefly recovered into the points after staying out during the earlier VSC period and overtaking Pierre Gasly for eighth place. However, on Lap 40 his race ended when he went straight on at Turn 10 with what sounded like a gearbox problem. It completed a miserable race for the reigning world champion and the McLaren team.

There was more heartbreak a few laps later for Sergio Perez. The Red Bull driver suffered a right-front wishbone failure while heading into the pit lane and was forced to retire from the race.

Another short VSC period followed on Lap 46 after debris was spotted near the final chicane. Around the same time, Aston Martin confirmed Fernando Alonso’s earlier retirement had been caused by a problem with the seat in his AMR26, ending what had started as a very promising recovery drive for the Spaniard.

As the race entered its final stages, the fight for second place became the main focus behind Antonelli, who remained comfortably in the lead after Russell’s retirement.

Max Verstappen held second place for much of the closing laps, but Lewis Hamilton steadily closed the gap in his Ferrari. Verstappen complained over the radio on Lap 51 that his medium tyres were cooling down, and Hamilton quickly began taking chunks of time out of the Red Bull driver ahead.

There was another nervous moment for Charles Leclerc during a VSC period on Lap 54 when he nearly lost the car exiting Turn 14. The Ferrari driver caught a big slide just in time and avoided spinning. During the same period, Isack Hadjar and Oscar Piastri both pitted to serve penalties, although Hadjar still stayed comfortably in fifth place.

Up front, Hamilton continued to attack Verstappen. The seven-time world champion first tried a move into Turn 1 on Lap 56, but Verstappen defended firmly. Hamilton later complained over team radio that he needed more power to complete the overtake.

The breakthrough finally came on Lap 62. Hamilton got a strong exit from the Turn 10 hairpin and stayed close through the final sector before making a brilliant move around the outside of Verstappen to take second place. It was one of the best overtakes of the race and immediately set up a tense finish.

Hadjar’s difficult afternoon continued when he was handed a stop/go penalty for a yellow flag infringement on Lap 63. Despite the punishment, he still managed to keep fifth place because Franco Colapinto was too far behind to challenge him.

In the final laps, Verstappen stayed right behind Hamilton and remained within DRS range all the way to the chequered flag. The Red Bull driver continued to pressure the Ferrari, but Hamilton defended strongly and held on to second place until the finish.

Out in front, Antonelli completed a superb drive to take victory in the Canadian Grand Prix.

Charles Leclerc came home fourth in the second Ferrari after a lonely second half of the race, with Isack Hadjar taking an impressive fifth despite serving a late penalty. Franco Colapinto secured sixth place for Alpine ahead of Liam Lawson in seventh for Racing Bulls, however, the Kiwi will be still investigated after the race. Pierre Gasly added more points for Alpine in eighth, while Carlos Sainz finished ninth for Williams. Oliver Bearman completed the top 10 after another strong recovery drive for Haas.

2026 F1 Canadian GP full results: