Kimi Antonelli stamps his authority in Canada

It is officially time to take Kimi Antonelli seriously. The young Italian marched to his fourth consecutive Grand Prix victory in Canada, turning what looked like a tense intra-team scrap into a 43-point championship cushion over Mercedes teammate George Russell. The race itself was a mechanical tragedy for Russell, whose Sunday ended abruptly on Lap 30 due to a power unit failure, leaving him furious on the sidelines.

While the Mercedes garage dealt with heartbreak, Lewis Hamilton looked absolutely revitalized. He secured his first second-place finish for Ferrari, calling it the "happiest day of my days at Ferrari so far." Max Verstappen rounded out the podium, his first rostrum visit of the 2026 season, marking a significant step forward for the Red Bull driver after a difficult start to the year.

It was a catastrophic Sunday for McLaren, whose gamble on intermediate tires in drying conditions backfired spectacularly. Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were forced into early pit stops, effectively ruining their race. To make matters worse, Piastri collected Williams driver Alex Albon at the hairpin, earning a 10-second penalty, while Norris retired later with a suspected gearbox issue.

In the midfield, Franco Colapinto produced a stunning drive for Alpine. Despite a wall-scraping moment that damaged his front wing, the youngster managed to bring his machine home in sixth—his best F1 result to date. It was a proper masterclass in damage limitation.