George Russell celebrated Mercedes’ first win of the Formula One season in Canada on Sunday, whereas McLaren’s Oscar Piastri went 22 factors clear within the championship after teammate Lando Norris smashed into him and retired.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who had hoped to win for a report fourth yr in a row at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, needed to accept second after a problem fizzed out behind the protection automobile.
Russell’s 18-year-old rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli completed third for his first F1 podium and the primary by an Italian since 2009.
Piastri was fourth, with the protection automobile main the ultimate lap earlier than peeling off to clear the way in which for Russell to take the chequered flag.
“Well done, team. That made up for last year,” mentioned Russell, who additionally began on pole in 2024 however completed third. His final win earlier than Sunday was in Las Vegas in November.
“It’s amazing to be back on the top step. I felt last year was a victory lost and probably got the victory today due to the incredible pole lap yesterday.”
Piastri now has 198 factors forward of Norris on 176, with Verstappen on 155, with Russell on 136.
In the constructors’ standings, Mercedes moved as much as second, forward of Ferrari and 175 factors behind McLaren.
Headline drama
An uneventful afternoon erupted in headline drama when Norris hit the rear of Piastri’s automobile three laps from the top – a conflict lengthy predicted within the title battle between the pair – whereas making an attempt to overhaul.
The Briton, whose damaged automobile stopped by the aspect of the monitor, was fast in charge himself when all of it went improper after they’d earlier gone aspect by aspect.
“I’m sorry. All my bad. All my fault. Stupid from me,” Norris mentioned over the crew radio.
Piastri pitted as the protection automobile was deployed and rejoined with a tyre benefit over Antonelli that he couldn’t use because the racing by no means resumed.
“Glad I didn’t ruin his race. In the end, apologies to the team,” Norris advised Sky Sports tv.
“This wasn’t even like a ‘that’s racing,’ it was just silly from my part.”
Stewards dominated he was solely in charge and handed him a meaningless five-second penalty.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton completed fifth and sixth, the latter with a broken automobile after hitting a groundhog.
Fernando Alonso was seventh for Aston Martin and Nico Hulkenberg introduced in additional stable factors for Sauber in eighth place. Esteban Ocon was ninth for Haas of their two hundredth race, with Carlos Sainz tenth for Williams.
A post-race protest by Red Bull was rejected by stewards 5 and a half hours after the race ended.
Third place, after passing Piastri on the opening lap, made Antonelli the third-youngest driver ever to face on the F1 podium.
“I was just hoping for the race to finish, to be honest,” he mentioned.
Russell led away cleanly from pole, with Verstappen slotting in behind.
Behind them, Williams’ Alex Albon tracked throughout the grass after beginning ninth, with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto transferring briefly up from tenth earlier than shedding out to Hulkenberg after which falling down the order.
Norris began on the exhausting tyres to go longer within the opening stint and was main by lap 16 after others who began on mediums got here in for pitstops. He then pitted on lap 29 and got here out fifth, behind Piastri in fourth.
Leclerc additionally got here in on that lap however then questioned why Ferrari had made the decision, along with his exhausting tyres nonetheless in affordable form.
Hamilton was behind his teammate and questioning out loud the place the efficiency had gone.
Source: www.dailysabah.com