Kimi Antonelli savored his fourth consecutive victory in Canada, but the Mercedes driver believes that George Russell’s retirement deprived F1 of an exceptional duel until the checkered flag.
The 2026 Canadian Grand Prix was long animated by a thrilling confrontation between the two Mercedes drivers. For about thirty laps on the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit, Kimi Antonelli and George Russell exchanged the lead in a particularly aggressive but clean fight.
The two men overtook each other several times, taking advantage notably of Montreal’s long straights and their rival’s braking errors. But this battle was abruptly interrupted when Russell suffered an engine failure on his Mercedes W17.
The Briton had to stop his car after going straight at turn 8, ending his hopes of victory while he still seemed capable of regaining the advantage over his young teammate. Antonelli did not hide his regret after the finish.
“It was a really fun battle with George,” explained the Italian after his victory. We were both on the limit and it wasn’t easy with the wind. The gusts made turn 10 particularly complicated.”
Antonelli frustrated to see Russell retire
Even though he directly benefited from this retirement to race towards another victory, Antonelli believes the race could have offered an even more spectacular finish without this mechanical problem.
“It was very close between us, and it’s a shame for him with this failure, because it could have given a really incredible battle until the end,” said the Mercedes driver. But we take this victory with pleasure. One more.”
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Thanks to this success, Antonelli secures his fourth consecutive victory and further extends his lead in the world championship. The 19-year-old driver now has a 43-point lead over Russell in the overall standings.
This dominance confirms Mercedes’ excellent current momentum, even if the competition remains close behind.
Mercedes under pressure despite the victory
Despite this potential new one-two turned into a solo victory, Antonelli remains cautious for the rest of the season. The Italian driver believes that Ferrari, Red Bull, and McLaren continue to progress rapidly.
“We have to keep raising our level,” insisted Antonelli. George was extremely fast this weekend. We were practically at the same level, and Ferrari, Red Bull as well as McLaren are clearly coming back.”
The young championship leader also revealed having suffered significant graining on his front left tire during the last laps. A problem he nevertheless perfectly managed as he even went on to set the fastest lap in the race on the final lap.
Mercedes therefore leaves Montreal with another victory, but also with some concerns about reliability after Russell’s engine failure. Enough to maintain some tension before the next meeting in Monaco.
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