Kimi Antonelli strengthened his lead with victory in Montreal, Hamilton ahead of Verstappen in the closing stages of the Canadian Grand Prix
Kimi Antonelli won the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal, in a race that confirmed his status as the leading man of the season and delivered one of the most interesting duels of the championship so far. According to the official Formula 1 calendar and results, the Canadian race was the fifth round of the World Championship, held from May 22 to 24, and Antonelli crossed the finish line first with a time of 1:28:15.758. Lewis Hamilton finished second for Ferrari, 10.768 seconds behind, while Max Verstappen for Red Bull was third, 11.276 seconds behind the winner. Such an outcome confirmed the basic information from the original report: Antonelli celebrated in a dramatic race, Hamilton took second place, and Verstappen remained on the final step of the podium.
The race in Montreal was not just another victory for the young Mercedes driver, but also an event that further sharpened relations at the top of the championship. Formula 1 states in its weekend review that Antonelli arrived in Canada with a streak of three consecutive victories, and in Montreal he extended it to four. It is especially important that his main challenger at Mercedes, George Russell, fought for the win for a long time, but retired after problems with the power unit. That gave Antonelli room to control the closing stages, while the audience’s attention shifted to the battle between Hamilton and Verstappen for second place. Hamilton overtook Verstappen in the late phase of the race and thus achieved his best result since driving for Ferrari.
The Mercedes duel decided by Russell’s retirement
The central sporting story of the Canadian weekend was the battle between the two Mercedes drivers. According to the Formula 1 report, Russell and Antonelli occupied the front row of the grid, after Russell had been faster than his teammate in qualifying. From the start, that order promised a tense race, because Antonelli already had an advantage in the championship, while Montreal offered Russell an opportunity to reduce the gap ahead of the European part of the season. In the early phases of the race, the two drivers changed positions several times and drove on the edge of what was permitted, but without an incident that would have required penalties or team intervention. In such circumstances, Mercedes received strong confirmation of the car’s speed, but also a reminder of how sensitive intra-team competition can be when it involves direct title contenders.
The turning point came on lap 30, when Russell stopped on the track due to a problem with the power unit. Formula 1 states that the Briton was visibly frustrated after stopping, and The Guardian reported his statement that the car suddenly shut down, with no electronics, engine, or normal braking. Up to that point, Russell had been fully in the fight for victory, so his retirement changed not only the race order but also the mood in the title battle. After that, Antonelli was able to drive more calmly, maintain the advantage and preserve his tyres, while behind him Verstappen and Hamilton gradually took on the main role in the closing stages. According to Formula 1’s analysis, the Italian increased his lead in the drivers’ standings to 43 points ahead of Russell with the victory.
Hamilton’s closing stages and Ferrari’s best weekend in his new career phase
Lewis Hamilton reached second place after a race in which Ferrari showed a significantly better rhythm than in some of its previous outings. According to Formula 1, Hamilton started fifth, but during the race he was among the most stable drivers outside the leading Mercedes pair. In the early phase, he moved towards the front, but Verstappen briefly passed him and held second place after Russell’s retirement. Still, Hamilton began to reduce the gap in the closing stages, made use of a better exit from the final chicane and then attacked around the outside in the first corner. The overtake was one of the key moments of the race because it decided the podium order and gave Ferrari the result the team needed in the fight at the top of the constructors’ standings.
After the race, Hamilton expressed satisfaction with Ferrari’s progress and with his own feeling in the car. Formula 1 states that the seven-time world champion described the Montreal performance as his happiest day since driving for Ferrari, while The Guardian recorded his assessment that the battle with Verstappen was particularly important because he once again had the feeling of direct competition at the front. In terms of results, second place was his best finish for Ferrari and the strongest signal that his adaptation to the new team had begun turning into concrete performance on the track. At the same time, Charles Leclerc finished fourth, which gave Ferrari a valuable number of points, but it remained clear that Mercedes had the basic speed for victory in Canada.
Verstappen reaches his first podium of the season, but without complete satisfaction at Red Bull
Max Verstappen finished third and thus reached his first podium of the 2026 season, according to the official Formula 1 report. The four-time world champion held second place for a long time after Russell’s retirement, but did not have enough pace to defend against Hamilton in the closing stages. At Red Bull, the result was assessed positively because during the previous races the team had periods in which it was fighting closer to the middle of the order than the front. After the race, according to Formula 1’s post, Verstappen said that the podium was a good result, but also stressed that the team still had to understand why grip was lacking in the second part of the race. Such a statement shows that Red Bull sees the progress as a step, not as a finished solution to its problems.
Verstappen’s result should also be viewed through the circumstances that worked in his favour. McLaren made a mistake in its tyre choice at the start of the race, and Russell retired while he was in the fight for victory, which opened space for the Red Bull driver to stabilise on the podium. Still, Verstappen drove quickly enough for most of the race to stay in contact with the front and remain ahead of the rest of the order. His duel with Hamilton in the closing stages recalled earlier seasons in which the two of them fought directly for the highest positions. The difference this time was that Ferrari did not fade in the final laps, while Red Bull was left without enough of an answer to Hamilton’s attack.
McLaren’s missed opportunity in changing conditions
One of the important elements of the race was McLaren’s unsuccessful initial strategic choice. Formula 1 states that Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri started on tyres for intermediate conditions, even though the expected rain did not develop to an extent that would have made that choice worthwhile. Norris, despite such a decision, briefly took the lead at the start, but quickly had to pit for dry-weather tyres. Piastri also had to change tyres early, and later his progress through the order was disrupted by contact with Alex Albon at the hairpin. For McLaren, it was a particularly costly weekend because before the race the team had starting positions that offered a fight for the podium, but it left Montreal with much less than it had expected.
Norris later retired due to a technical problem, while Piastri finished outside the points. According to Formula 1, such an outcome meant that McLaren lost important momentum in the fight with Ferrari for second place in the constructors’ standings. The race thus showed how, in Montreal, on a circuit that punishes even small mistakes, strategic assessment was just as important as the car’s pure speed. In conditions that were changing quickly, the decision on the starting tyres determined the direction of the entire afternoon for both McLaren drivers. At the same time, it opened space for Hamilton, Verstappen and Leclerc to make maximum use of their rivals’ problems.
A circuit that traditionally emphasises braking, rhythm and mistakes
Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve has a special status on the Formula 1 calendar because it combines long straights, heavy braking and chicanes that demand precision throughout the entire lap. According to Formula 1’s official description, the circuit is located on the artificially built Notre-Dame Island in the Saint Lawrence River, created for Expo 67, and it first hosted the Canadian Grand Prix in 1978. That same year, Gilles Villeneuve achieved his first Formula 1 victory at that location, which later received his name. The final sector with the Wall of Champions is especially well known, a place that throughout history has punished even the biggest names in the sport. Such a circuit character explains why races in Montreal often turn into a combination of tactical patience, aggressive braking and sudden changes in the order.
In the 2026 edition, additional complexity was brought by changing conditions and delayed starts. Motorsport Week states in its report that the start of the race was marked by problems before the start itself, including a situation with Arvid Lindblad, because of which the starting procedure had to be repeated. The race then entered a phase in which tyre decisions had a direct effect on the order. Russell’s retirement, McLaren’s problems and the late duel between Hamilton and Verstappen created a series of events that confirmed why Montreal is one of the circuits where it is rarely possible to speak of a routine victory. Antonelli ultimately celebrated convincingly, but the path to victory was anything but simple.
What the victory means for the continuation of the championship
Antonelli’s victory in Canada further strengthened his title candidacy and changed the dynamics within Mercedes. According to Formula 1, after Montreal he has a 43-point advantage over Russell, and that gap at this stage of the season is not decisive, but it is large enough to create pressure on rivals. Russell began the weekend strongly, took pole position and showed the speed for victory, but a technical failure turned a potentially major comeback into a serious results loss. Mercedes now has the fastest package in several different conditions, but also the challenge of managing the relationship between two drivers who are directly fighting for the biggest goal. Toto Wolff, according to The Guardian, said that the season is still long and that Russell has enough races to return to the fight.
Ferrari leaves Montreal with an important boost, especially because of Hamilton’s second place and Leclerc’s fourth. Red Bull can be satisfied with Verstappen’s first podium of the season, but not completely calm because it was shown that in the closing stages it did not have the pace to defend against Ferrari. McLaren, on the other hand, must analyse the strategic decision that turned the race into a missed opportunity, especially after it had the speed for the front in the qualifying part of the weekend. The next round, according to the official Formula 1 calendar, is held in Monaco from June 5 to 7, where qualifying and track position will be even more important than in Canada. After Montreal, it is clear that the 2026 season is entering its European part with Antonelli as a driver who can no longer be considered only a surprise, but a benchmark for the entire order.
Sources:
- Formula 1 – official calendar and results of the 2026 season, including the Canadian Grand Prix standings and the schedule of the next races (link)
- Formula 1 – review of the key moments of the Canadian Grand Prix, including the Mercedes duel, Hamilton’s performance, McLaren’s strategy and Verstappen’s podium (link)
- Formula 1 – official text on Verstappen’s podium and the assessment of Red Bull’s progress after the race in Montreal (link)
- FIA – announcement of the official 2026 Formula 1 calendar and explanation of the earlier May date of the Canadian race (link)
- Motorsport Week – race results and report on the outcome of the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix (link)
- The Guardian – report on Hamilton’s second place, Russell’s retirement and reactions after the race (link)