Russell pushes back on F1 engine changes after epic Antonelli battle at Canadian GP

As a result of his Canadian GP DNF, Russell sits 43 points behind Antonelli in the Drivers' standings. The 19-year-old Italian leads the way on 131 points as the youngest championship leader ever after becoming the first F1 driver to win their first four races consecutively in Montreal.

In the end, Antonelli finished 10 seconds ahead of second-placed Lewis Hamilton, but not before an epic battle with Russell prior to the Briton's retirement on Lap 30. All throughout those 30 laps, the Mercedes duo traded the lead, Antonelli looking the faster driver, but Russell calmer and more composed.

Despite the heartbreaking end to his race, which also saw Russell fined €5,000 for throwing his head rest out of his W17 in anger, the 28-year-old had enjoyed the battle with his teenage teammate, likening it to the iconic intra-Mercedes clash between Hamilton and Nico Rosberg at the 2014 Bahrain GP.

Criticised by the likes of Hamilton and Max Verstappen, the 2026 regulations have been compared to 'Mario Kart' and labelled "anti-racing" due to the increased reliance on battery deployment. But for Russell, there is no need to massively change the power unit amid proposed plans to tweak the 50:50 split between internal combustion and electrical power to 60:40 in 2027.

Speaking to media, including GPblog, Russell reflected on the 2026 power unit when speaking about his battle with Antonelli. He said: "I loved it. I thought it was great, and I’ve not had a battle like this in years. I haven’t seen a battle like this, probably since Lewis and Nico in Bahrain 2014 and these new cars allow you to do that. These new engines allow me to do that.

Meanwhile, differing views on the 2026 generation of cars have continued to come out over the Canadian GP weekend. Initially, Verstappen had suggested the proposed 60:40 changes to the power units could be enough to keep him in F1, but after Qualifying walked back on those comments.

Then, after securing his first podium of the 2026 season with a P3 finish in Montreal, Verstappen's criticism of the regulations continued. This time, the Dutchman pointed to his recent ventures into endurance racing, including the Nuburgring 24 Hours, as a reminder that there are other, more "pure" forms of motorsport that he remains interested in.

Verstappen said in the post-race press conference: "I mean, for me, even this season, of course, I’ve been racing also different kind of cars and especially last week, that reminds me how pure motorsport can be and how great the racing can be. So, yeah, when I come back into Formula 1, the thing is of course here, especially most of the drivers, we’re the best in the world.

Speaking at the same press conference following his P2 finish, Hamilton, who has generally been more upbeat regarding the 2026 rules, could not deny racing so far this season "doesn’t feel what motorsport should be."

Hamilton said: "It’s definitely not second nature, that’s for sure. I think it still continues to be a weird feeling. You go down the power, you open up the SM, and then the power dies like halfway down the straight and the RPM starts dropping. It doesn’t feel what motorsport should be. The engine should be ringing its neck off right to the end of the straight and just pulling and pulling. That’s what they used to do in the V8 times or the V10 times. They would just pull and pull.