Kimi Antonelli won the 2026 Canadian GP and confirmed the impressive start to the season for the young Italian from Mercedes. In a race marked by risky strategies, cold track, intense battles, and several retirements, Antonelli took the lead after George Russell’s retirement and controlled the race until the flag in Montreal. With the result, the Italian opened a 43-point lead in the championship after just five rounds.
Read more F1: FIA releases the official starting grid for the 2026 Canadian GP
Even before the start, the GP began chaotically. The threat of rain caused different strategies on the grid, with some drivers betting on intermediate tires expecting precipitation in the first laps. Among them were Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Nico Hülkenberg. In addition, Arvid Lindblad was stuck on the grid unable to engage gear, causing a aborted start and reducing the race from 70 to 68 laps.
At the definitive start, Norris jumped to the lead, while Russell lost ground. Hamilton took advantage to overtake Piastri and take fourth position. Bortoleto had a very poor start with the intermediates and quickly began to lose positions. Shortly after, it became clear that the bet on rain had been wrong. The track remained dry and the intermediate tires deteriorated quickly. Piastri abandoned the strategy as early as lap 2, while Norris, Bortoleto, and Hulkenberg also had to stop early to put on slicks.
With the race stabilized, Mercedes staged an intense duel for the lead. Russell regained the lead after Antonelli made a mistake at the chicane on lap 7, but the Italian spent practically half the race pressuring his teammate. The two exchanged positions several times, touched wheels, and staged some of the most aggressive battles of the season so far. Antonelli finally retook the lead on lap 22, overtaking Russell on the outside.
The battle ended dramatically on lap 30, when Russell went straight at the chicane between turns 8 and 9 and retired from the race. Mercedes’ initial suspicion pointed to a power unit failure. The Englishman left the car extremely frustrated, ending an internal duel that had been the center of the race until that moment.
From there, Antonelli controlled the race, even facing occasional difficulties with backmarkers and the low asphalt temperature, which made it difficult to keep the tires in the ideal window. Verstappen took second position after overtaking Hamilton still in the first stint, but the Ferrari driver grew again in the final part of the race and began to strongly pressure the Dutchman.
Hamilton tried several attacks in the last laps, mainly at the braking zone of Turn 1, but could not complete the overtake. Verstappen defended the position very well, although he made small mistakes at the end, including a run-off at the hairpin on the penultimate lap. Even so, the Dutchman stayed glued to the Ferrari until the flag.
Read more F1: Red Bull makes change to Verstappen’s car before the Canadian GP
In the final laps, Antonelli managed the lead without major threats and confirmed another dominant victory for Mercedes. Hamilton managed to overtake Verstappen at the end and finished second, achieving his first podium of the season — and also his first since joining Ferrari. The seven-time world champion celebrated a lot over the radio after the race. Verstappen closed the podium in third.
The race also had several important incidents. Piastri received a 10-second penalty for causing a collision with Alexander Albon, who retired from the race. Norris retired after mechanical problems, Sergio Pérez crashed hard after a front right suspension failure, and Hadjar was penalized for changing direction more than once defending against Charles Leclerc. There were also multiple Virtual Safety Car periods throughout the race.
For Bortoleto, Sunday was quite complicated. Besides the wrong strategy on intermediate tires and the poor start, the Brazilian struggled with the pace of the Audi throughout practically the entire race. Still, he managed to partially recover in the pack and received a five-second penalty for an infraction under VSC regime right at the flag, but with no practical effect, as he had more than 50 seconds advantage over Esteban Ocon.
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Check the full results of the 2026 Canadian GP F1:
1) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
2) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
3) Max Verstappen (Red Bull/Red Bull Ford)
4) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
5) Isack Hadjar (Red Bull/Red Bull Ford)
6) Franco Colapinto (Alpine/Mercedes)
7) Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford)
8) Pierre Gasly (Alpine/Mercedes)
9) Carlos Sainz (Williams/Mercedes)
10) Oliver Bearman (Haas/Ferrari)
11) Oscar Piastri (McLaren/Mercedes)
12) Nico Hülkenberg (Audi)
13) Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
14) Esteban Ocon (Haas/Ferrari)
15) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin/Honda)
16) Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac/Ferrari)
OUT) Sergio Pérez (Cadillac/Ferrari)
OUT) Lando Norris (McLaren/Mercedes)
OUT) George Russell (Mercedes)
OUT) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin/Honda)
OUT) Alexander Albon (Williams/Mercedes)
OUT) Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford)
Read more F2: Check the championship standings after the Canada stage
