Canadian Grand Prix talking points: Russell’s best ever, Antonelli’s potential and Hamilton’s road kill

The 2025 Canadian Grand Prix delivered a dramatic duel between the McLarens, tense battles throughout the field and a race that ultimately ended under safety car conditions.

The race remains one of the standout events on the Formula One calendar, and Sunday’s race lived up to that billing. Here are the key talking points from a chaotic weekend of racing.

Russell rules in Montreal

From lights out to the chequered flag, it was a commanding performance and arguably one of George Russell’s finest weekends yet – if not his very best.

It all started when the British driver produced a sensational lap to beat Max Verstappen by 0.160 seconds to clinch pole position in a dramatic conclusion to qualifying.

With no love lost between the rivals, a potential showdown on Sunday dominated headlines – especially after Russell cheekily stirred the pot, quipping: “I’ve got a few more points on my licence to play with.”

Verstappen, currently has 11 penalty points on his FIA super licence, and is just one point away from triggering an automatic one-race suspension. His tally rose after being handed three penalty points for a collision with Russell in Barcelona.

However, Russell executed the ideal launch, reacting sharply and left Verstappen trailing. The Dutchman was able to apply some pressure, but his pace eventually dropped off.

Mercedes’ recent tyre troubles appeared to fade, as Russell managed them with precision en route to his first Grand Prix victory of the season. He capped it off by setting the fastest lap of the race – the perfect end to a flawless weekend.

Russell said: “I’d love to get our hopes up, but I think the strength of our car is in these cooler conditions. Let’s see going into the upcoming races, but we’ll just enjoy it for now.”

This was an important win given Russell’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season. “He’s giving us all the reasons to [extend] quickly,” said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. “We know what he’s capable of doing and he has been leading this team now since a while. He has the pace and the right attitude.”

McLarens implode

A late collision between the two McLarens brought an end to the team’s impressive run of eight consecutive podiums.

It was a difficult weekend for Lando Norris, whose form remains inconsistent. In qualifying, he underperformed, securing only P7 despite driving what many consider the fastest car in the field. He admitted to pushing too hard – it’s becoming a habit, and a costly one.

In the closing stages of the race, Norris found himself behind teammate Oscar Piastri. With both allowed to race, it sparked an exciting duel. Norris briefly got ahead with a move at the hairpin, but Piastri reclaimed the position into Turn 13 as the battle for fourth heated up. On the pit straight, Piastri maintained his line while Norris, desperate to get back in front, misjudged the space and made contact, crashing out and triggering the safety car.

Speaking over the radio, Norris immediately acknowledged his mistake. “I’m sorry. It’s all my bad, all my fault. Unlucky, sorry. Stupid from me.”

Struggling to manage the pressure effectively, Norris will need to regroup and find the consistency expected of someone with his level of talent. Fortunately, Piastri was able to continue after the incident and secured a P4 finish, extending his lead at the top of the championship to 22 points.

Antonelli bounces back

While the weekend belonged to his Mercedes teammate, Kimi Antonelli drove a remarkable race to become the third-youngest podium finisher of all time behind Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll.

Starting the race in P4, the 18-year-old Italian managed to overtake Piastri at the start to set him up for a strong effort. With the McLarens behind him and closing in, Antonelli stayed calm and the subsequent collision helped him secure P3 and some well-earned celebrations.

“On the last stint I pushed a bit too hard behind Max and I killed the front left a bit,” Antonelli said. “I struggled at the end, but really happy to bring the podium home.”

It was a memorable performance from the young driver after a difficult run of form. Following retirements at both his home Grand Prix in Imola and in Spain – and a disappointing 18th-place finish in Monaco – Antonelli bounced back in style.

Vasseur’s denials, Hamilton’s road kill

Ferrari arrived in Canada under a cloud, forced to deny reports from the Italian media suggesting that team principal Fred Vasseur was on the brink of leaving. Corriere della Sera even named a potential successor, claiming Ferrari would be interested in Antonello Coletta, the global head of Ferrari Endurance and Corse Clienti.

To add to the tension, there were rumours that both drivers were unhappy. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton rejected the claims. In response to the speculation, Hamilton said: “It’s definitely not nice to hear that there are stories like that out there. Firstly, I love working with Fred – Fred’s the main reason I’m in this team and got the opportunity to be here, for which I’m forever grateful for, and we’re in this together.”

Nonetheless, one fact remains clear: Ferrari are underperforming. The weekend marked another disappointing outing for the Scuderia. Many had tipped Ferrari to be genuine contenders this season, but with zero Grand Prix wins and just three podiums so far, they have failed to build on the momentum of last year, when they finished as runners-up in the constructors’ championship, just 16 points behind McLaren.

On Sunday, Leclerc and Hamilton finished in P5 and P6, respectively. Hamilton picked up damage in lap 13 (he ran over an animal believed to be a marmot), damaging the floor of the car.

“It was feeling pretty decent up until then,” he told Sky Sports. “I got a good start, held position, I was holding on to the group, I was managing the tyres well, so I was feeling optimistic.”