Andrea Kimi Antonelli became the first Formula 1 driver to win his first four grands prix in a row, claiming victory at the Canadian Grand Prix.
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Antonelli, the championship leader, was engaged in a close fight at the front with team mate George Russell until a power unit failure removed Russell from the race shortly before half distance.
Antonelli took the initial lead from Russell at the start, though neither driver led through the first corner as Lando Norris swept past both. McLaren had gambled by starting both cars on intermediate tyres in the cool, dry conditions; Norris pitted on the second lap to fit slicks.
Russell reclaimed the lead from Antonelli at turn 13 on lap six. Over the following laps he repeatedly struggled to slow the car at turn 10, leaving openings that Antonelli attempted to exploit.
On lap 24 Antonelli briefly regained the lead while running wide at turn 13. His race engineer, Peter Bonnington, instructed him to give the position back, which Antonelli did immediately as they approached turn eight.
Six laps later Russell suffered a loss of power at the same section, sliding into the run-off area and stopping at the exit of turn nine. He removed the cockpit surround and climbed from the car. What had looked like a potential five-to-seven-point swing between team mates turned into a 25-point deficit for Russell.
The Virtual Safety Car was deployed while marshals recovered the Mercedes, and most of the field used the window to pit. With Russell out of contention, Antonelli emerged with a comfortable gap of around six seconds to Max Verstappen, who earlier had passed Lewis Hamilton.
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Norris’s hopes of stretching a set of medium tyres to the finish were ruined when he ran wide at turn four and picked up debris in his sidepods, forcing an unscheduled stop. The VSC briefly helped him climb back to eighth, but on lap 40 he lost drive at turn 10 and retired from the race.
After Russell’s retirement Antonelli’s victory became all but certain, though Hamilton mounted a late recovery and passed Verstappen for second into the first corner with seven laps remaining.
Charles Leclerc moved past Isack Hadjar to take fourth, but complained about a late defensive move from the Red Bull driver approaching turn 13. The stewards agreed and handed Hadjar a 10-second time penalty.
The stewards were even less forgiving over Hadjar’s response to yellow flags later in the race and issued him a stop-and-go penalty. Despite both penalties, the midfield gaps meant Hadjar’s finishing position was unaffected: he crossed the line more than ten seconds ahead of Franco Colapinto.
Colapinto secured sixth place — his best grand prix finish — despite clipping the barrier at the pit lane exit after his stop. Liam Lawson finished between Colapinto and team mate Pierre Gasly.
Carlos Sainz Jnr was the only driver who started on intermediates and still scored points. Oscar Piastri finished 11th behind Oliver Bearman, leaving McLaren without points from their lead driver.
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2026 Canadian Grand Prix
- Stats: Antonelli has larger points lead than any driver had last year, and more
- Power deficit is keeping Ferrari out of the fight with Mercedes – Hamilton
- ‘Actually an opportunity’: How McLaren answered drivers’ calls to ditch tyre gamble
- “He needs to back up”: How Mercedes managed Russell and Antonelli’s Canadian GP fight
- ‘It doesn’t feel like what motorsport should be’: Podium trio still unhappy with F1’s power units
Browse all 2026 Canadian Grand Prix articles