Kimi Antonelli secured his fourth victory of the season by winning the 2026 Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix. The 19-year-old Italian driver achieved a comfortable win after a great duel with George Russell, who retired from the race due to a technical issue. Lewis Hamilton recorded his best career result with Ferrari, while Max Verstappen achieved his first podium finish of the season.
A Warm Start, A Fiery Struggle
At the start of the race, McLaren's Lando Norris made an unexpected move to the front of the grid on intermediate tires. However, this strategy quickly collapsed, and Norris returned to the pits to switch to dry tires. This development left Russell and Antonelli neck and neck at the front of the race.
The two Mercedes drivers put on an incredible show as rivals for the first 30 laps. They swapped positions numerous times, and at times came wheel-to-wheel. Russell, who watched the battle, later said: “I haven’t seen such an exciting battle in years. It would have been great if it had lasted 40 more laps.”
Russell's Nightmare
- An unexpected event occurred during the lap. Russell's car experienced a power unit failure, causing the British driver to suddenly slow down and come to a stop. Enraged, Russell threw his hood onto the track and smashed his gloves on the ground. This dramatic scene went down in history as one of the most striking moments of the 2026 season.
Many drivers made pit stops when the virtual safety car was deployed. Antonelli, however, continued the race with a solid lead.
Hamilton: A Historic Day for Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton finished second, achieving his best result ever with Ferrari. The 40-year-old legend said Maranello could have improved a little more and that the Red Team was "incredibly grateful" to him on the final corner.
Max Verstappen, after a very weak performance in the first four races of the season, managed to secure a podium finish with Red Bull in Canada. This result boosted the morale of the Dutch champion and his team.
Race Results
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
- Carlos Sainz (Williams)
- Oliver Bearman (Haas)
Championship Table
After 5 races, Antonelli is in a very comfortable position in the championship with a 43-point lead. Russell's failure to score any points in Canada has dramatically widened the gap. McLaren, meanwhile, suffered a major disappointment with both Norris and Piastri retiring from the race.
Next stop: Monaco Grand Prix, June 5-7. 🏎️