Canada GP Winners and Losers as McLaren make mistake and Antonelli extends run

A Sprint weekend at the Sprint staged on a semi-street circuit, turned into a fascinating spectacle, unless you were tracking the Papaya McLarens or backing the Mercedes of George Russell.

The young Italian, despite missing out on a Sprint victory, will certainly leave the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve with the wildest of smiles. The 19-year-old made it four straight victories in a row after his teammate Russell, with whom he had been locked in an intense battle, retired following a power unit failure on lap 30. While Antonelli admitted over the radio that it was not the way he would have wanted to win the race, a glance at the drivers’ standings and the manner in which he was able to hold his own against Russell, who had made the Montreal circuit his stomping ground in recent years, would surely leave the Bologna native with some subtle satisfaction.

It was a tale of contrasting emotions at both ends of the Mercedes garage. While Antonelli and his mechanics were celebrating a fourth consecutive victory, Russell and his side of the garage were left with more head-scratching to do.

The British driver found his weekend, which appeared to be a much-needed improvement on his outing in Miami, ended in smoke after his power unit failure on lap 30. His DNF now extends his Grand Prix streak without a podium to three, with the gap to Antonelli in the standings now increased to 43.

The seven-time champion, for the first time in a while, enjoyed a stellar weekend with the Scuderia Ferrari outfit. Hamilton, who had endured a forgettable outing last time out in Miami, was largely on par with the front-runners throughout the weekend in Canada.

Hamilton was head and shoulders ahead of Charles Leclerc and capped his weekend with a masterful overtake on Max Verstappen, which saw him clinch second place on the day.

While Hamilton was experiencing his best weekend at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, teammate Leclerc endured nothing short of a forgettable weekend. The Monegasque failed to mount any meaningful challenge to the front of the grid. And despite claiming a fourth-place finish, Leclerc himself described the weekend as probably the worst of his F1 career.

A maiden podium for the Red Bull Ford power unit, Verstappen running at the front of the grid, and him subsequently admitting to enjoying his outing amid his criticism of the current regulations pushed the Dutchman's Saturday criticism aside. Coupled with the success recorded, teammate Isack Hadjar claimed his best race finish with the Milton Keynes-based outfit in fifth place behind Leclerc.

The Papaya-coloured outfit undoubtedly would rank as the biggest loser from the weekend in Montreal. A tyre strategy mishap, a car failure for Lando Norris, and Oscar Piastri being lapped twice by the front runners, in addition to a 10-second penalty for a collision with the Williams of Alex Albon, it certainly was a weekend the McLaren team across the board will want to forget in a hurry. The reigning world champions will now turn their focus to the Monaco Grand Prix, where they won last year with Norris.