Kimi Antonelli extended his lead in the championship standings by winning the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday (May 24) in Montreal, Quebec. Antonelli started second, battled George Russell for nearly the first half of the race, then benefitted from Russell’s failure, earning his fourth consecutive win.
Lewis Hamilton, enjoying a buoyant sense of spirit, drove his Ferrari to second while Max Verstappen proved that his Red Bull has some fight by finishing third. Charles Leclerc seemed grumpy throughout the race, earning fourth on the day.
Isack Hadjar managed to score fifth, even with a stop-and-go penalty. Frnanco Colapinto claimed sixth with Liam Lawson taking seventh. Pierre Gasly looked lost for the first half of the race yet eked out an eighth-place finish with Carlos Sainz following in ninth. Oliver Bearman secured the final points-paying position for Haas by crossing in tenth.
The Canadian Grand Prix started in peculiar fashion with the formation lap complete and the grid racked up and ready to race, the lights came on to start the proceedings, and then race control aborted the start and pushed for a second formation lap. The marshals then shepherded Arvin Linblad’s disabled Racing Bull off the track. A third formation lap ensued.
Lando Norris pipped both Mercedes to lead the first lap. His teammate, Oscar Piastri, dropped into the pits, switching off the intermediate wet tires and onto the medium slicks. Norris made the same move on lap three, granting the lead to Kimi Antonelli, with George Russell in tow.
On lap seven, George Russell scooted past Antonelli and into the lead. One lap later, Verstappen overtook Hamilton, moving into third.
On lap 13, Antonelli closed back in on Russell, bringing a battle back to the front between the Mercedes drivers. Further back in the field, Piastri, attempting to move through the field, found himself entangled with Alex Albon resulting in Albon’s retirement and Piastri hitting the pits for a new front wing.
Having hounded Russell for 10 laps, Antonelli finally raced past Russell. And then the two continued their tango, swapping spots, with Russell emerging as the leader, but in no way making it seem like he held a confident lead.
Lap 30 ended the story when Russell ended his day, parking his broken car on the side of the track and bringing out what amounted to the much-anticipated safety car. The retirement recorded, as Russell’s first in 38 grand prix, brought frustrating emotions from the Brit as he threw his headrest onto the track. Antonelli then grabbed the lead and never found himself threatened.
Lando Norris, after being told to box on lap 18 because the team feared his car’s reliability, saw his day end on lap 40. Perez parked his car on lap 44, joining the list of DNFs.
The race then moved into a processional as Antonelli could cruise with Verstappen posing little threat. Hamilton sat four seconds adrift, with Leclerc a further eight seconds behind.
The virtual safety car interrupted the green flag racing again on lap 53, with the GP resuming on lap 55. From there, the race concluded in the order that the drivers restarted.
As a writer and editor, Ava anchors the Formula 1 coverage for the site, while working through many of its biggest columns. Ava earned a Masters in Sports Studies at UGA and a PhD in American Studies from UH-Mānoa. Her dissertation Chased Women, NASCAR Dads, and Southern Inhospitality: How NASCAR Exports The South is in the process of becoming a book.
It’s a shame Russell’s engine expired. He and Antonelli put on an incredible show the first 1/2 of the race. Multiple times I thought they were about to wipe each other out.