Antonelli Wins Canadian Grand Prix After Russell Retires From the Lead

Kimi Antonelli won the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, crossing the line over ten seconds clear of Lewis Hamilton in second and Max Verstappen in third. The 19-year-old Italian took his fourth consecutive victory, becoming the first driver in Formula 1 history to win his first four Grands Prix consecutively. The result also gave Mercedes its 300th podium since the team returned to the sport as a full works entry in 2010. The story of the race, though, was the retirement of Antonelli’s teammate George Russell, who was leading when a battery issue ended his afternoon on lap 30.

How Did the Start Conditions Split the Field?

Overnight rain left the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve cold and damp heading into lights out, with light drizzle falling as the cars lined up on the grid. The track surface looked dry enough for slicks, and that split the field. Mercedes and the majority of teams started on the Soft (C5), while Pierre Gasly, Franco Colapinto and Liam Lawson chose the Medium. Four teams took a different gamble entirely: both McLarens on the second row, both Audis, both Cadillacs and Carlos Sainz in the Williams fitted Intermediate tyres expecting worsening conditions. Arvin Lindblad did not start. Two extra formation laps added to the difficulty of getting heat into the rubber before the race began.

Pirelli Motorsport Director Dario Marrafuschi explained the consequences of those choices. “It did not rain during the Canadian Grand Prix, but in the end rain was still, in some respects, a key factor in the race, at least as far as the start was concerned,” Marrafuschi said.

The Intermediates overheated on the dry surface and forced those teams into early pit stops within the first three laps, dropping them down the order. “The decision by four teams, including McLaren, to fit Intermediates in anticipation of a sudden change in the weather was a gamble that did not pay off, as it became immediately clear once the lights went out that the race would be run on a dry track,” Marrafuschi said.

For everyone else, the cold temperatures made the Soft the safest route to generating grip at the start. “The low temperatures pushed the remaining teams to rely on the softest compound which, thanks to its greater grip, helped the tyres reach their operating window, despite the additional difficulties caused by the two extra formation laps,” Marrafuschi added.

How Did Antonelli and Russell’s Battle End?

Antonelli moved ahead of Russell into Turn 1 and the Mercedes pair quickly built a gap of over five seconds to the cars behind. What followed was one of the best intra-team fights of the season, with the two drivers swapping the lead several times through the opening stint. The gap to the rest of the field meant they could race each other hard without worrying about losing track position, and both pushed to the limit.

The battle ended on lap 30 when Russell suffered a battery issue that forced him into immediate retirement while leading. Despite the result, Russell left Montreal in good spirits about his overall weekend. “I am proud of my weekend, no matter that it ended in a retirement today,” Russell said. “I took pole for the Sprint, won that race, took pole for the Grand Prix and was leading before we had the Power Unit issue that finished our race. I know there is nothing more I could have done this weekend to perform and that fills me with confidence moving forward into the rest of the season. It is of course a painful way to finish our Canadian Grand Prix weekend, but I will leave here satisfied that I did my best. Up until lap 30, I was thoroughly enjoying the race. I loved the battle with Kimi, and I am sure he did too. It was like going back to karting days where you are racing wheel-to-wheel, swapping the lead multiple times. I hope everyone enjoyed watching it as much as I enjoyed being in it. I just wish we could have continued it until the end of the Grand Prix.”

Antonelli inherited the lead and pitted under the resulting Virtual Safety Car on lap 31, switching from the Soft to the Medium. He managed his tyres through the second stint and crossed the line with a comfortable margin, but was quick to acknowledge his teammate’s pace. “First of all, massive commiserations to George,” Antonelli said. “I feel very sorry for him as he was leading the race and was super strong. We were having a great battle in that first stint and very close on pace. I am sure it would have gone right until the end of the Grand Prix, and I am disappointed we didn’t get the chance to continue that. It was not an easy race for us. The wind was very tricky and with the low temperatures, it was hard to get the tyres working. We had several lock-ups, particularly in the early stages, but fortunately were able to keep it on the track and get to the chequered flag first. It is of course not how we want to win but we will take it. We now get ready for the European portion of the season and six races in eight weekends leading up to shutdown. It will be an intense period, but we are looking forward to it.”

How Did Hamilton and Verstappen Reach the Podium?

With Russell out and the Mercedes dominance broken, Hamilton and Verstappen moved into the podium positions. The pair fought in the closing laps, with Verstappen pushing to overtake the seven-time world champion but unable to make it stick. Hamilton held on for second, his strongest result since joining Ferrari.

“It’s been a really positive weekend on my side,” Hamilton said. “I felt at one with the car from the first laps in practice, and while qualifying didn’t quite go our way, the pace was there. Today is a testament to the work that’s been put in, both here at the track and back at the factory, so a huge ‘Grazie’ to everyone involved. I’m really grateful for the way the team has supported me and welcomed me from day one. It means a lot. To come away with a strong points finish is important, and there are plenty of positives to take forward. The fight with Max was intense and enjoyable, that’s why we race and it shows the progress we’re making. The upgrades we brought in Miami worked well and we’ll keep building on this momentum and stay focused on the journey ahead.”

Verstappen crossed the line third for Red Bull’s first podium with their own powertrain. “It’s great to be back on the podium,” Verstappen said. “It was a little bit of a surprise, but we made the right calls and didn’t leave anything on the table. We had a very good first stint on the Soft tyre, and that gave us the gap we needed. The Medium tyre was more difficult because managing the temperatures, combined with going in and out of Virtual Safety Cars, made things more challenging. I enjoyed the last few laps battling with Lewis, and I pushed hard to take the position back. Over the last two weekends, we’ve been a lot closer, and there have been positive steps forward. It’s also our first podium with our own powertrain, which is a great milestone for the Team, so credit to everyone for getting us here.”

What Strategy Worked at the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix?

The Virtual Safety Car triggered by Russell’s retirement gave the leading group a cheap pit stop, and the first four finishers all used it to switch from the Soft to the Medium on lap 31. A one-stop proved to be the right call for the majority of the field. Alpine found a different route into the points: both drivers started on the Medium before switching to the Hard, finishing in sixth and eighth.

Marrafuschi pointed to the range of approaches that worked on the day. “As we described yesterday, the C5 was the joker of this Sunday thanks to its consistency, which allowed drivers to run until the first neutralisation, but the theoretically quickest strategy nevertheless confirmed its effectiveness,” he said. “This is demonstrated by the positions gained by the two Alpine drivers, who started on the Medium and finished the race in the points on the Hard.”

Graining, which had been expected to play a bigger role in the cold conditions, turned out to be a minor factor. “Graining, despite the cold conditions, was very limited and did not affect tyre performance over a stint, allowing the drivers to focus on on-track battles, which once again delivered an entertaining Grand Prix,” Marrafuschi said.

The pace of the 2026 cars continues to close on last year’s machinery. “The fastest lap today, set by race winner Kimi Antonelli, was less than a tenth of a second slower than the quickest race lap recorded in 2025 by his team-mate Russell, a sign that car development is progressing at full speed and in the right direction,” Marrafuschi added.

Antonelli’s victory moves him to 131 points in the championship, 43 ahead of Russell in second. Charles Leclerc sits third, 56 points behind the leader. The next round of the 2026 World Championship is the Monaco Grand Prix in two weeks.

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