ANTONELLI TRIUMPHS IN MONTREAL CHAOS AS MERCEDES HEARTBREAK CONTINUES

The 2026 Canadian Grand Prix at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve delivered an absolute thriller, culminating in a spectacular victory for Kimi Antonelli. The rookie sensation kept his composure through a race of high attrition, chaotic strategy, and massive championship implications.

While Antonelli celebrated, it was a day of absolute heartbreak for George Russell and Mercedes, alongside a dramatic collapse for several frontrunners.

George Russell put together a breathtaking lap on Saturday to secure pole position ($1:12.578$). He led confidently early on, but his race unraveled dramatically, ending in a devastating DNF on lap 39.

Starting from P2, Antonelli drove with maturity well beyond his years. After Russell’s retirement, the young Italian seized control of the Grand Prix, managing his pace effortlessly to cross the line over 10 seconds clear of his nearest rival.

Lewis Hamilton put on a vintage performance, slicing his way from 5th on the grid to secure a brilliant P2 for Ferrari. He narrowly held off Max Verstappen, who clawed his way up from P6 after a difficult qualifying session to round out the podium in 3rd.

The infamous walls of Montreal claimed several victims. Alongside Russell, high-profile retirements included Lando Norris (who bowed out on lap 38 while fighting for a podium), Fernando Alonso, Sergio Pérez, and Alex Albon.

Beyond Antonelli’s victory, it was an exceptional day for the new generation. Isack Hadjar secured a magnificent P5 for Red Bull, while Franco Colapinto brought his Williams home in P6, leading a double-points finish for the Grove-based squad as Carlos Sainz took P9.

McLaren’s Canadian Grand Prix disintegrated into an absolute catastrophe born of a high-stakes strategy blunder and late-race mechanical failure. Misjudging the volatile Montreal weather before lights out, the Woking-based squad gambled by starting both cars on intermediate tyres while nearly the entire grid opted for slicks.

Though Lando Norris briefly capitalised on the initial dampness to surge into the early lead, the track dried rapidly, leaving both drivers at a severe disadvantage and forcing immediate, costly pit stops.

Oscar Piastri later admitted the team “looked like idiots” as the botched gamble dropped him to the back of the pack, where his recovery was further derailed by a clumsy, penalized collision with Alex Albon. The team’s misery was compounded on lap 38 when Norris, having fought his way back up into points-paying contention, suffered a terminal gearbox failure that forced him into retirement, capping off a brutal non-score weekend that dealt a severe blow to their championship aspirations.

It was another tough learning experience for the grid’s newest addition. The Cadillac Formula 1 Team endured a difficult afternoon in Montreal, plagued by poor qualifying pace and reliability issues

The team struggled mightily on Saturday, locking out the back row of the grid. Sergio Pérez started down in P20, while Valtteri Bottas lined up last in P22.

It wasn’t all bad news for the American squad; Pérez actually delivered Cadillac’s strongest on-track showing to date during Saturday’s Sprint race, crossing the line in 11th (though a post-race penalty ultimately dropped him to 14th).

Sunday’s main event proved to be a bridge too far. Sergio Pérez was forced to retire on lap 39 after making four pit stops in the changing conditions. Valtteri Bottas managed to nurse his MAC-26 across the line to give the team some crucial mileage and data, but he finished a distant 16th—four laps down on race winner Kimi Antonelli.

Team principal Graeme Lowdon noted after the weekend that while the car has shown flashes of being able to mix it up in the lower end of the midfield, finding consistency across a full Grand Prix weekend remains the expansion team’s biggest hurdle.

The next Grand Prix is on the famous streets of Monaco 4-7 June.

Photos: F1 Facebook

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