Montreal has put many things in order, but it hasn't touched the only fixed point of this start to the season: Kimi Antonelli.
The nineteen-year-old Mercedes driver took his fourth victory of the year in Canada, after China, Japan and Miami, confirming a maturity that surprises his own team.
On the semi-urban Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, the race never really got out of his hands.
For about thirty laps, the scene was all Mercedes.
Russell was coming off a perfect Saturday — pole and victory in the sprint — and had the air of someone who wants to reassert his role.
Antonelli, quicker in qualifying and determined not to be sidelined, responded blow for blow.
The two have exchanged leadership several times.
Then, midway through the race, Russell's power unit suddenly failed.
The British driver later admitted that the World Championship is now in the hands of his teammate Kimi Antonelli.
The adoption of the Virtual Safety Car compacted the group and further favored Antonelli, who rejoined the race with a margin he would never lose.
A full twenty-five points, his score at the end of the day, and his lead over Russell has risen to 43.
An undisputed and inevitable victory.
Behind him, however, the most interesting part of the day took place.
Lewis Hamilton achieved his best result since he has been wearing Ferrari red, the result of forty minutes of precise and patient driving against opponents who refused to give in.
Starting fifth, he took advantage of others' mistakes and found himself chasing Verstappen with twelve laps to go.
To attempt the overtaking, he had to take advantage of Overtake Mode, the system that will replace DRS from 2026 and offers a brief surge of electrical power.
He did it. Verstappen held his own, but in the end Hamilton managed to prevail over his Dutch rival and, with a "Grazie a tutti!" in Italian, thanked the Ferrari team technicians who were waiting for him in the pits over the radio.
It was a very different race for Charles Leclerc, who finished fourth at the end of a day to forget. Brake problems from the start and increasing tire degradation distanced him from the frontrunners, finishing 34 seconds behind Hamilton: a timing that will be studied in Maranello in the coming days.
Despite this, Ferrari's weekend was overall better than one might expect.
McLaren had a difficult Sunday: Norris retired, Piastri did not get into the points zone.
The Maranello team has thus consolidated its second place in the Constructors' World Championship, reaching 147 points against the 106 of the papaya cars.
Verstappen's podium finish—third, his first in this championship—was the most encouraging sign for a Red Bull team that continues to suffer from its uncertainties compared to the engineering supremacy of Mercedes.
This performance gap is a direct consequence of the introduction of the ADUO, the new system imposed by the FIA which grants extra development hours to manufacturers lagging behind on the internal combustion part of the power unit. The Red Bull team should hopefully benefit from this. next stop, June 7th, for the Monte Carlo GP.
RACE RANKING — Montreal, May 24, 2026
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +10.7s
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +11.2s
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +44.1s
DRIVER'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP — after 5 races out of 22
Antonelli 131 points
Russell 88
Leclerc 75
Hamilton 72
Norris 58
Piastre 48
Exit 43
CONSTRUCTOR'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Mercedes 219
Ferrari 147
McLaren 106
red bull 57
Alpine 35
For photos:
© Ferrari SpA / Scuderia Ferrari HP
