Kimi Antonelli admitted he regretted the power unit failure that ended George Russell’s race at the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday, even as the result handed the 19-year-old Italian his fourth straight victory and a 43-point lead in the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship. The Mercedes teammates had been locked in a thrilling wheel-to-wheel battle for the lead at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve before Russell’s car lost all power on lap 30 while running first, bringing an abrupt end to what Antonelli called “a very cool battle”.
Russell, who won Saturday’s sprint race and started the Grand Prix from pole, struggled off the line in cool and damp conditions before reclaiming the lead at the final chicane on lap six. From there, the two Silver Arrows traded positions repeatedly, locking brakes, running deep into the hairpin, and making contact at the final chicane on lap 24. Antonelli briefly went off track avoiding contact and was instructed to return the position, with both drivers warned by their engineers to “keep it tidy” as the tension escalated. “It was a really fun battle, to be fair, with George,” Antonelli said. “We were pretty much on the limit. It was not easy today, with the wind. It was very gusty and Turn 10 is very difficult. One lap, I think, he locked up and I went in front — and then I locked up, so it was very close and it was a shame for him to have a failure because it would have been a very cool battle”.
Once Russell retired at Turn 9, Antonelli controlled the second half of the race and crossed the line 10.7 seconds clear of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, with Max Verstappen securing Red Bull’s first podium of the season in third. The win makes Antonelli the first driver in F1 history to claim his first four wins consecutively, and the first Italian since Alberto Ascari in 1952 to win four in a row. “Not really the way I wanted to win, if I have to be honest, because it was a tough fight with George,” Antonelli said. “We were pushing and I think we both did a lot of mistakes… but we will take it. Another win. I’m very happy and massive thanks to the team”.
The result extends Antonelli’s championship lead over Russell from 18 to 43 points after five grands prix, with Mercedes also leading Ferrari by 72 points in the constructors’ standings. Russell, who had won the season opener in Australia, said he felt the title was now Antonelli’s to lose but added he was “pretty damn frustrated” after a weekend where he took pole for both the sprint and Grand Prix and led when his power unit failed. Antonelli noted that once alone in the lead he had to refocus and manage front-left tyre graining, but found good pace as temperatures came in. With Monaco next on June 7, Antonelli established himself as the man to beat while Russell looks to reset after seeing his title hopes take a major blow in Montreal.
