Mercedes reveal 'catastrophic' reason behind Russell's Canadian GP DNF

Russell's DNF has come as a crushing blow in his bid for 2026's F1 Drivers' title, with Antonelli's subsequent victory putting the Italian teenager 43 points ahead of the Briton after just five rounds into the season. Worse still for Russell is that 19-year-old Antonelli became the only driver ever to secure his first four race wins in straight succession in Mercedes' W17.

The battle for the lead between the Silver Arrows duo had been intense all weekend, with Antonelli having to be told to calm down by Wolff over team radio following a Sprint clash that saw him forced onto the grass at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve's Turn 1. During the main race, while Antonelli appeared the quicker of the two, Russell was the steadier driver, and in the lead at the time of his Lap 30 breakdown.

While Russell now believes the championship is Antonelli's to lose, team boss Wolff has said the 28-year-old is the "one guy" he'd pick in terms of resilience, determination, and to bounce back from his Canadian GP heartbreak. Russell will have another chance to do so at Monaco next weekend, provided Mercedes have indeed got on top of the issue he faced in Montreal.

Speaking in Mercedes' post-Montreal debrief video on social media, Technical Director Allison broke down Russell's power unit problem. He said: “It was a big weekend for us. Key, because it was the weekend where we introduced our first major upgrade for the year and we were looking for it to be strong.

Speaking to media, including GPblog, Russell unsurprisingly cut a glum figure after his DNF, believing his teenage teammate Antonelli is the clear favourite. Russell said: "Right now, it's his to lose; there are so many points ahead. It feels like the gods don't want me to be in this fight when I look at the safety car timing in Japan, breaking down in China Q3, fighting for pole, breaking down from the lead here today.

Responding directly to those comments, however, Mercedes team principal Wolff was not worried about Russell's mindset, instead fully confident the 28-year-old will firmly be in title contention.

Wolff said: "Well, things have been going against him in the last few races. Today certainly would have been big points to collect. He was in the lead, but, if there’s one guy that I would choose in this paddock in terms of resilience and determination, that would be George.