By Staff Reporter
Montreal: Teenage sensation Kimi Antonelli continued his remarkable rise in Formula One after claiming a fourth consecutive victory for Mercedes at the Canadian Grand Prix, extending his lead in the drivers’ championship to 43 points.
The 19-year-old Italian delivered another composed display in a dramatic and incident-filled race, becoming the first driver in Formula One history to record his first four career victories in succession. Antonelli crossed the finish line 10.768 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton after surviving a fierce intra-team battle with Mercedes teammate George Russell, whose race ended prematurely due to a power failure.
“It was a really fun battle with George,” Antonelli said after the race. “We were pretty much on the limit. It was not easy today. It was a shame for George to have the failure because it would have been a very cool battle, but I’ll take it.”
Hamilton finished second to secure his 10th podium at the Canadian Grand Prix and the 204th podium finish of his career, fending off reigning four-time world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull, who claimed his first podium finish of the season in third place.
The result marked a welcome return to form for Hamilton, who claimed his maiden victory in Montreal in 2007 and shares the record of seven wins at the circuit with Michael Schumacher.
“Finally, we found our sweet spot and had a good weekend,” Hamilton said. “It’s amazing to be back up here and I got to have a battle with Max, which was great. I am so happy, I love this track.”
Verstappen welcomed an encouraging weekend for Red Bull after a difficult start to the campaign.
“It is better to race up front,” the Dutchman said. “It is really cool to have our first podium and to battle with Lewis. All really positive.”
— Info Kimi Antonelli (@InfoAKA12) May 24, 2026
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished fourth, ahead of Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, Alpine driver Franco Colapinto and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly came eighth, followed by Carlos Sainz of Williams and Haas rookie Oliver Bearman.
It proved to be a miserable outing for reigning constructors’ champions McLaren, whose race unravelled after a questionable tyre strategy in difficult weather conditions. Oscar Piastri finished outside the points in 11th after receiving a 10-second penalty for a collision with Alex Albon, while defending world champion Lando Norris retired with a gearbox problem.
The race began in cold, damp conditions, prompting teams to split tyre strategies between intermediates, softs and mediums. Norris made an aggressive start from third on the grid to snatch the lead from pole-sitter Russell after an aborted start caused by Arvid Lindblad failing to engage a gear.
Antonelli inherited the lead following the opening round of pit stops before engaging in a captivating wheel-to-wheel contest with Russell, with the Mercedes pair repeatedly exchanging positions in a tense battle for supremacy.
The young Italian briefly seized the lead on lap 12 and again on lap 22, displaying maturity under pressure as he matched Russell’s pace through a series of dramatic overtakes and close exchanges. However, the contest was cut short on lap 30 when Russell retired with a power-unit failure — his first retirement in 38 races since the 2024 British Grand Prix.
“Everything went off, the engine and the electronics. The lot,” Russell said. “I’m lost for words.”
Following a Virtual Safety Car period, Antonelli regained control of proceedings and steadily pulled away from the field after switching to medium tyres, leaving Hamilton and Verstappen to contest the remaining podium places.
McLaren’s difficult afternoon worsened on lap 40 when Norris retired, capping a disappointing weekend for the team as Antonelli underlined his growing title credentials with yet another commanding performance.
