15/06/2025 21:41
George Russell claimed a brilliant Canadian Grand Prix victory that
ended under safety car conditions after Oscar Piastri and Lando
Norris came to blows. The Mercedes driver held out from Max
Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli in a race that simmered away for most
of the 70-lap before coming to boil in the final 15 at the Circuit
Gilles Villeneuve. It made for a tense climax in Montreal, with
strategy the key variable in closing the leading group. With three
laps to go, the McLarens clashed for the first time. The British
driver hit his team-mate on the pit straight whilst fighting for
fourth, leading to retirement as the Australian escaped with no
damage to his MCL39. Lewis Hamilton endured a difficult grand prix
with an ailing Ferrari as Fernando Alonso and Nico Hulkenberg both
secured consecutive points finishes. Lance Stroll was handed a
10-second time penalty for a clash with Pierre Gasly, making it a
home race to forget en route to P18 and last on the road, on
account of Alex Albon and Liam Lawson being forced into retirement.
Check out the full Canadian Grand Prix report below. Opening salvo
Russell led a clean getaway in Montreal, with Verstappen filing in
behind, holding Kimi Antonelli and Piastri at bay. The 18-year-old
managed to take third from the McLaren driver heading into Turn 3.
Further back, Alex Albon found the grass as the Turn 8 and 9
chicane whilst battling former Williams team-mate Franco Colapinto,
dropping to P12 by the end of the first lap as Nico Hulkenberg
capitalised and moved up to ninth. Aside from Piastri losing out to
Antonelli, the top eight remained unchanged, with all runners on
medium tyres except for Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc on the
hard compound. By lap 5, the leading pair had broken away, with the
second Mercedes over two seconds adrift of the Dutchman. It allowed
Verstappen to pressure Russell, until the former eased off and DRS
was broken as the race settled into a steadier rhythm. Tyre
management was soon the main focus, with Piastri, Leclerc and
Verstappen all feeding back how their Pirellis were faring to their
respective teams. The general consensus was that neither the medium
or hards were good race tyres. Norris dispensed of Fernando Alonso
just before the start of lap 12, whilst Verstappen dived into the
pit lane at the end of that lap to switch to the hardest rubber on
offer, preventing being overtaken by Antonelli in the process.
Russell promptly responded. He re-emerged in seventh, with
Verstappen in ninth behind Hulkenberg. When Antonelli came in the
following lap, Piastri was released to put the hammer down. The
Australian pitted at the end of lap 15, leaving Norris and Leclerc
on the hard tyres at the front of the field, having not yet
stopped. By lap 20, Russell had closed back up on the leading pair.
In the battle for the net race lead, he held a two-second advantage
over Verstappen. In the fight for the lesser points positions,
Albon nursed a power unit issue similar to the one that impacted
his Spanish Grand Prix. He quickly fell back on aging mediums
before pitting for the first time on lap 23. Esteban Ocon, Carlos
Sainz and Yuki Tsunoda occupied eighth to tenth, but all had yet to
come in to stop. Mid-point Despite holding steady in seventh, it
was confirmed Hamilton had issues of his own, having picked up
damage earlier in the race - understood to be on lap 13. Russell
got past Leclerc on lap 26, setting a lap time 1.1 seconds quicker
than leader Norris, who was his next target. It would take
Verstappen two more laps to free himself, which only happened due
to the Ferrari pitting. "I don't understand this choice," the
Monegasque driver told his team as a second set of hards were
strapped to his SF-25, consigning him to a two-stop race. Norris
duly responded, handing the lead back to Russell. It would be
mediums for the McLaren, with both the MCL39 and Leclerc coming out
ahead of Hamilton and Alonso, the latter of which was still behind
Ocon and Sainz. Leclerc questioned Ferrari over team radio some
more, asking why he was boxed to which his "Plan B" strategy was
confirmed, even though he had declared a prior preference for "Plan
C". As the 70-lap grand prix approached its mid-way stage, Russell
enjoyed a three-second advantage over Verstappen, with a similar
gap separating the Red Bull from the Mercedes behind. Piastri was
just about staying in touch with Antonelli, at a two-second
deficit. The race moved into its second half with Norris the big
winner from the first, going long had moved him to fifth with his
team-mate and title rival only fourth and on slower tyres. The
Briton was the only driver in the entire field on mediums, as he
set fastest lap times. Verstappen came in for his second stop on
lap 37 whilst over five seconds behind Russell. It would be a
second set of hards for the four-time F1 drivers' champion. He came
out ahead of Hamilton, who was being told his pace was strong
considering the damage sustained to his Ferrari. Antonelli very
nearly overcut Verstappen when he pitted on lap 38, with the two
drivers drag racing down to Turn 3. The latter had stopped earlier
to cover off the fast-charging former. In the intra-McLaren
squabble, Norris had halved Piastri's lead by lap 42. That would
soon become a fight for the current race lead as Russell came in
for a second time. Despite a slow stop, he came out in fourth,
behind the papaya pair and Leclerc, though his advantage over
Verstappen had been reduced. Closing stages As Piastri came in for
his second time, just before Norris, Lance Stroll and Pierre Gasly
tussled at the Turn 10 hairpin and then into the final chicane. The
Canadian, having just taken P17 from the Alpine, pushed him wide.
The race director noted it, before it was upgraded to a stewards'
investigation. Meanwhile, Liam Lawson was noted for ignoring blue
flags. As the Aston Martin driver was handed down a 10-second time
penalty, Albon pulled off at the hairpin and into retirement due to
a power unit issue. However, as it was in a safe place, it was only
a short-lived yellow flag and nothing more race-altering. The
incidents were starting to come thick and fast by lap 50, with
Isack Hadjar and Ollie Bearman also noted for a moment at the final
chicane. Up front, Leclerc still led having only stopped once.
Russell in second only held a two-and-a-half second advantage over
Verstappen as Norris continued to set fastest laps from P6 and four
seconds behind his team-mate. Whilst Bearman and Hadjar escaped
further investigation, the other Racing Bulls was told to pit to
retire his car. The fight for victory hotted up as the race
approached the final 15 laps, as the leading five closed up and
proceedings became more frenetic again. By lap 60, Russell's lead
was under two seconds, but fewer than six separated the top five.
As Piastri encountered traffic as difficult points of the track on
multiple occasions, Norris moved into DRS range, setting up an
intriguing end to the grand prix. A brilliant battle between Norris
and Piastri came to blows at the start of lap 67. The former tried
to find a gap that was not there on the pit straight, hitting the
back of the leading McLaren. He hit the wall and was out. Norris
promptly took responsibility, saying it was his fault and
apologising to the team. Piastri was able to continue. Multiple
cars came in to pit under the subsequent safety car conditions. It
would finish with under safety car conditions with Russell winning
from Verstappen and Antonelli, who claimed a first podium finish in
F1.
