Kimi Antonelli won the Canadian Grand Prix. The 19-year-old Italian was involved in a fierce battle with his Mercedes team-mate George Russell, who was eventually forced to retire due to a technical problem with his car.
Behind Antonelli, two world champions returned to the podium: seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton in second place and Max Verstappen in third.
Tyre choices at the start were varied, as a still slightly damp track prompted several drivers to fit Intermediates. This was the case for the McLaren pair, Audi, Cadillac and Carlos Sainz in the Williams. With the track drying quickly, everyone switched to slick tyres within the first three laps. Pierre Gasly, Franco Colapinto and Liam Lawson (as well as Arvin Lindblad, who did not start) opted for the Medium on the grid, while the rest of the field started on the Soft.
For the majority of drivers, a one-stop strategy proved to be the right call. The first four finishers, starting on the C5, took advantage of a Virtual Safety Car to make their pit stop on lap 31 and switch to the C4.
Alpine’s strategy was also noteworthy, with both drivers starting on the Medium before switching to the Hard, allowing them to finish in sixth and eighth positions. All the compounds selected for this weekend therefore proved to be valid options on the Gilles Villeneuve circuit in Montreal.
With this victory, Antonelli, now on 131 points, strengthens his lead in the championship title fight. The Italian now has a 43-point advantage over second-placed George Russell. Leclerc follows, 56 points behind Antonelli. The next F1 round takes place in two weeks’ time at the Monaco Grand Prix.
DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR
It did not rain during the Canadian Grand Prix, but in the end rain was still, in some respects, a key factor in the race, at least as far as the start was concerned.
The decision by four teams, including McLaren, to fit Intermediates in anticipation of a sudden change in the weather was a gamble that did not pay off, as it became immediately clear once the lights went out that the race would be run on a dry track.
The low temperatures pushed the remaining teams to rely on the softest compound which, thanks to its greater grip, helped the tyres reach their operating window, despite the additional difficulties caused by the two extra formation laps.
As we described yesterday, the C5 was the joker of this Sunday thanks to its consistency, which allowed drivers to run until the first neutralisation, but the theoretically quickest strategy nevertheless confirmed its effectiveness. This is demonstrated by the positions gained by the two Alpine drivers, who started on the Medium and finished the race in the points on the Hard.
Graining, despite the cold conditions, was very limited and did not affect tyre performance over a stint, allowing the drivers to focus on on-track battles, which once again delivered an entertaining Grand Prix.
The fastest lap today, set by race winner Kimi Antonelli, was less than a tenth of a second slower than the quickest race lap recorded in 2025 by his team-mate Russell, a sign that car development is progressing at full speed and in the right direction.
