Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli extended his sensational start to the Formula 1 season by claiming his fourth consecutive victory at the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday, strengthening his lead in the drivers’ world championship and etching his name into the sport’s history books. The 19-year-old Mercedes driver crossed the line 10.768 seconds clear of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen completing the podium to secure his team’s first top-three finish of the 2026 campaign.
Antonelli’s win came after a thrilling wheel-to-wheel battle with Mercedes teammate and title rival George Russell, who started from pole but was forced to retire on lap 30 of 68 when his power unit failed. The pair had exchanged the lead several times in a tense fight that saw them come close to contact before Russell’s car suddenly shut down exiting a corner, ending his race and handing Antonelli a clear run to the flag. Russell, who won Saturday’s sprint race, called the retirement “damned frustrating” and said everything turned off all of a sudden with no electronics or proper braking.
With the victory, Antonelli became the first driver in Formula 1 history to win his first four Grands Prix consecutively and the first Italian since Alberto Ascari in 1952 to take four wins in a row. He now leads the championship with 131 points, 43 points ahead of Russell, after five races all won by Mercedes and three Saturday sprints. The result also marked the 300th podium by a Mercedes driver since the team returned as a works outfit in 2010.
Hamilton finished runner-up for his best result in a regular grand prix for Ferrari, embracing his mother in parc fermé after beating Verstappen in the closing laps with a decisive pass into Turn 1. The seven-time champion, who took his maiden F1 win in Montreal in 2007, said it was amazing to be back on the podium and to have a battle with Verstappen. Charles Leclerc took fourth for Ferrari as the last unlapped driver, followed by Isack Hadjar fifth for Red Bull and Franco Colapinto continuing to score with sixth for Alpine.
Antonelli admitted it was not the way he wanted to win and said it was a shame for Russell because it would have been a very cool battle, but added that when he was on his own he focused on managing his tyres as graining started to appear. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff praised the performance but stressed the season was long and urged the team to stay balanced. After sweeping the Canadian weekend with a sprint win for Russell and the grand prix for Antonelli, Mercedes now leads Ferrari by 72 points in the constructors’ standings as the paddock heads toward the European leg of the season.
