FIA CONFIRMS 2026 Canadian Grand Prix – Official F1 results (Montreal)
Kimi Antonelli has taken a commanding win in Montreal, capitalising on a technical retirement for Mercedes teammate George Russell.
A frantic battle between the two Mercedes drivers ended just before the halfway mark when Russell retired from the lead with a power unit issue.
Kimi Antonelli wins the Canadian Grand Prix from Max Verstappen
tyres, it left the two Mercedes drivers up front to control proceedings for the opening half of the race.
But what unfolded from there was a thrilling head-to-head, with the duo trading places in an increasingly scrappy duel that saw both lead.
The hairpin proved the great equaliser between the pair, even if Antonelli did appear to have a slight edge on outright pace – the Italian squandered the lead at one point as he sailed wide into the corner to relinquish the position back to Russell.
But Antonelli was able to keep up the pressure lap after lap, to the point where they frequently entered the braking zone into the chicane alongside each other, leading to instructions from the pitwall to make sure the racing was kept clean.
Just before the halfway mark of the race, the battle came to a premature end as Russell went off track at Turn 8 as his Mercedes slowed and stopped on the exit of the corner, the British driver having been in the lead at that point.
Clearly furious, Russell threw his headrest in front of his stricken W17, and he clambered out of his car to jump behind the barrier and watch on as his car was recovered under Virtual Safety Car conditions.
Having been in the heat of battle, Russell stood trackside in disbelief for a while before making his way back to the paddock, as Mercedes confirmed the issue had been on the power unit side.
His retirement left Antonelli comfortable up front, with Max Verstappen battling Lewis Hamilton for second place as the Dutch driver got past the Ferrari early in the race, only for Hamilton to come back at him in the final stages.
With just over five laps to go, Hamilton deployed his battery to pass Verstappen into Turn 1, with the two World Champions swapping places and leaving the Red Bull driver attempting to catch back up before the chequered flag; he ultimately couldn’t quite keep with the Ferrari.
With the podium places decided, Charles Leclerc took fourth place, despite having a dramatic half-spin at the final corner in the closing stages, while Isack Hadjar took fifth place in the second Red Bull.
The French driver picked up two separate time penalties, which he served during the race, but his advantage over sixth-placed Franco Colapinto was such that he still finished ahead of the Alpine as the Argentine took his career-best finish.
Liam Lawson was seventh for Racing Bulls ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, enjoying a fierce scrap in the final laps, while ninth went to Carlos Sainz. The final points place went to Haas’ Oliver Bearman.
The result means that Antonelli has opened up a 43-point lead in the Drivers’ Championship after five Grand Prix weekends.