Russell DNF heartbreak hands Antonelli crucial fourth straight win in Canadian GP

The start of the Canadian Grand Prix descended into chaos after Arvid Lindblad stalled on the grid moments before the lights went out, immediately triggering an aborted start. While the field initially prepared for a second getaway, the recovery operation to remove the stranded Racing Bulls machine ended up taking longer than expected, forcing Race Control to add yet another formation lap before conditions were deemed safe to proceed.

When the race finally got underway at the third attempt, it was Lando Norris who made the perfect launch, sweeping past both Mercedes cars into Turn 1 to snatch the lead. However, the McLaren driver’s gamble on intermediate tyres quickly backfired. Both Norris and his teammate were forced into the pits almost immediately as the strategy failed to work, handing the advantage back to the slick-shod runners. That promoted Antonelli into the lead ahead of Russell and Hamilton, while Verstappen climbed his way up into fourth position.

The battle between the two Mercedes drivers quickly intensified in the early stages of the race. Russell closed the gap back up to Antonelli before completing the move down the back straight on lap six to reclaim the lead. The Italian almost made contact with the rear of Russell’s car under braking, locking up heavily and running wide as he desperately tried to avoid hitting his teammate. A few laps later the pair were at it again, going wheel-to-wheel in another fierce scrap, although Russell managed to come out on top and stay ahead.

After having several attack attempts denied, Antonelli finally managed to get through on lap 22, immediately pushing hard and beginning to slightly pull away from his teammate. Antonelli then made a mistake just a few laps later, allowing Russell to get back through as the Italian once again ran wide at the chicane, with Peter Bonnington subsequently instructing him to hand the position back.

Drama struck on lap 30 of the Canadian Grand Prix as Russell was suddenly forced to retire from the race due to a reliability issue on his Mercedes W17. The Brit slowed dramatically before parking the car at the side of the track, with the exact nature of the problem still unclear. His retirement handed the lead back to teammate Kimi Antonelli following their thrilling intra-team battle earlier in the race, while also allowing the Italian to extend his championship advantage over Russell to 43 points.

Russell appeared visibly furious after climbing out of the car, with his stranded Mercedes bringing out the Virtual Safety Car for several laps before green-flag racing resumed. After Russell’s retirement, the race settled down considerably, with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen taking advantage to secure podium finishes and complete the top three, with the Brit eventually getting past the Dutchman in the closing laps after applying sustained pressure.