Kimi Antonelli claimed his fourth straight F1 victory in Montreal after Mercedes team-mate George Russell suffered a power unit failure while leading.
Antonelli turns Mercedes fight into victory
Kimi Antonelli won the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix after Mercedes team-mate George Russell suffered a power unit failure while leading on Lap 30.
Russell and Antonelli controlled the opening phase at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, trading places several times in a battle that defined the first half of the race. They made glancing contact at the final chicane, but both continued, with Russell holding the lead.
Then Russell's car developed a technical problem. He stopped at Turn 9 on Lap 30, ending his race and an intra-team fight that had been set to continue deep into the afternoon.
The Virtual Safety Car that followed brought much of the field into the pits, and Antonelli came through the sequence with a clear advantage over Max Verstappen. He controlled the remaining laps without facing another serious challenge.
The Italian covered 68 laps in 1:28:15.758, finishing 10.768 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton. It was Antonelli's fourth consecutive Grand Prix victory and earned him another maximum haul of 25 points.
Hamilton takes second from Verstappen
Antonelli was secure out front after Russell retired, but the positions behind him were still in play. Verstappen initially held second after the Virtual Safety Car period before Hamilton closed during the final laps.
The Ferrari driver passed the Red Bull to claim second, his best result for Ferrari, and finished only 0.508 seconds ahead of Verstappen.
Verstappen still secured his first podium of the season in third. Charles Leclerc delivered another strong Ferrari result in fourth, though he ended the race 44.151 seconds behind Antonelli and more than half a minute back from the Hamilton and Verstappen fight.
Isack Hadjar finished fifth in the second Red Bull, one lap down. Verstappen's third place and Hadjar's fifth put both Red Bull cars inside the top five, while Hamilton and Leclerc gave Ferrari second and fourth.
Alpine secures a valuable double score
Franco Colapinto maintained his strong run for Alpine with sixth place and eight points. Pierre Gasly finished eighth, completing a double points result for the team in Montreal.
Liam Lawson split the Alpine pair by taking seventh for Racing Bulls. He held off Gasly through the final lap, with the official classification showing a gap of just 0.337 seconds.
Carlos Sainz scored two points for Williams in ninth.
Oliver Bearman took the final available point for Haas in 10th, crossing the line 1.035 seconds behind Sainz. The other classified finishers were Oscar Piastri, Nico Hulkenberg, Gabriel Bortoleto, Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll and Valtteri Bottas. Bortoleto was handed a five-second penalty for a Virtual Safety Car infringement but kept 13th place in the final order.
McLaren tyre gamble ends in disappointment
McLaren started both cars on intermediate tyres, a decision that quickly backfired. Both drivers stopped early to switch to slicks.
Piastri recovered to 11th but finished two laps behind Antonelli and outside the points. Lando Norris retired after 38 laps, leaving McLaren without a score from the Canadian Grand Prix.
Norris was among five drivers officially listed as race retirements. Sergio Perez stopped after 39 laps for Cadillac, while Russell completed 29, Fernando Alonso 23 and Alexander Albon 11. Arvid Lindblad did not start the race.
Russell's retirement had the biggest immediate impact, removing Antonelli's closest rival from the fight for victory. Mercedes was left with sharply different results, a commanding win for Antonelli and a mechanical retirement for Russell.
Championship lead grows to 43 points
Antonelli's fourth consecutive victory extended his advantage in the Drivers' Championship. He leaves Montreal on 219 points, 43 ahead of Russell, whose power unit failure left him without a score.
Reliability made the difference within Mercedes. Both cars had the pace to contest the victory, but Antonelli was the only driver able to turn that speed into points.
Hamilton collected 18 points and moved to 169, placing him second in the standings and 50 behind Antonelli. Verstappen earned 15 points for third in Montreal, with Leclerc taking 12 and Hadjar 10.
Antonelli's final margin was not solely the result of Russell's retirement. After the Virtual Safety Car changed the shape of the race, he managed his advantage and kept Hamilton and Verstappen from applying late pressure. The championship leader followed a fierce opening phase with a controlled run to the flag, leaving Canada with four straight victories.
