After Mercedes teammate George Russell’s heartbreaking heart failure while on the chequered flag from a first-place finish the German Season 8 final at the Canadian Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli consolidated his lead in the series.
The Monaco Monaco battle between the two Mercedes drivers came to a dramatic close in the late stages of the day at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, when the Mercedes of Russell caught fire – giving Kimi an uncontested victory for the fourth consecutive time in Formula 1 racing. It not only continued the winning streak for Kimi Antonelli, but also raised the benchmark of his season to 43 points, ensuring under Pierre Gasly’s helm he once again played center of focus as the top driver of the 2026 F1 season.
The victory did not just ensure another race win for Antonelli, but also increased his tally to 43 points in the drivers’ box, securing his place in the 2026 Formula 1 season at the forefront. Antonelli was the only one who was able to take advantage of the situation and bring the Mercedes back to the home under his leadership, while Russell sits on the sidelines, frustrated and furious, as he attempts to break his mediocre NFL winning streak.
One race was going to be one of the most exciting this season the Canadian Grand Prix. Mercedes booked the front row and right from the off were the quickest package on race day. This matched-up game featured several changes in personnel early on in the session, with each player effectively trying to take a shot at the other in a very containable manner.
The highlight of their duel was in lap 24 at the final chicane. Antonelli was able to get a head start on the track by exiting late with a passing manoeuvre. But when the race control ordered him to return the position, the Italian immediately took back the cockpit. The accident showed a desire for victory from both drivers, and led to what was expected to be an exciting second half of the race.
However, the world of motorsports undergoes change in a blink of an eye. At lap 30 Russell’s race fell apart when his Mercedes stopped with an engine problem. British driver had to pull off the track after Turn 9, though, and retire. The television cameras captured the frustration that was visible in Russell’s face as he got out of the car just knowing that there was a possible victory that had slipped by. The toes also got him demoralized for the championship.
As of that time, Antonelli took over the race lead and never surrendered it. The Mercedes carpentered it straight ahead and didn’t overestimate the risk one bit and created a nice gap in front of the bunch. Few realize that he is one of F1’s brightest talents and he had proved himself again under pressure.
But chaos reigned behind the leader. McLaren struggled in the afternoon, having bet on an intermediate, despite it being only slightly damp. This strategy proved to have adverse effects from the start however, with both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris moving into the pits for slick tyres.
The situation got even more complicated for Piastri when he crashed through the air at the hairpin with Williams driver Alex Albon. The incident lead to Albon being put on the back of their score, and Piastri having his front wing dinged causing him to have another stop and a 10-second penalty. Norris had his own challenges, having headed into retirement in lap 40, after suspecting that his gearbox had misfired.
When McLaren’s bid fell apart Max Verstappen settled for second, and tried to close in on Antonelli. But the reigning World Grand Prix driver was unable to scratch down to the Mercedesman’s speed. Instead, Verstappen took to the defensive as Lewis Hamilton thumbed an impressive Ferrari drive.
After-winning Verstappen at the start of lap 62, Hamilton was left second by the Frenchman’s recorded break on lap 67.Hamilton was to go over Verstappen at lap 62 before the Frenchman opened up on lap 67 to take second. The result was a good effort for the seven time world champion, though he blazed by Antonelli by a little under 10 seconds. After a challenging battle, Verstappen finished third.
Isack Hadjar, from Red Bull, battled with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for fourth place in the death struggle that followed but Charles Leclerc ended them up. The young Frenchman was able to ride in the fifth position throughout the race, despite having collected a number of race penalties.
Midfield was a lot of fun
Alpine again showing a turn for the best. The other chassis contributed with sixth place (Franco Colapinto) and seventh (Liam Lawson) for Racing Bulls. Pierre Gasly came through the weekend relatively unfazed to find 8th while Carlos Sainz and Oliver Bearman rounded out the top ten.
Last, but not least, the Canadian Grand Prix will be remembered as another milestone day in Kimi Antonelli’s career. The young Mercedes star had all the necessary ingredients—a combination of speed, patience and race management to win his fourth successive race and establish a great lead in the race for the top. With a mechanical screw up, the nature of the race was altered for Russell, but all Antonelli had to do was perfect if he was to go for the top points.
Motor racing’s star of the moment, Antonelli riding in his fourth consecutive season winning races with growing momentum and confidence on his side will prove to be the best driver in Formula 1. Championship is far from decided and getting nailed with another sterling performance in Montreal, Corso has done a lot to get closer towards a potential world championship.
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