Antonelli Wins Canadian Grand Prix for Fourth Straight Victory

Italian driver Kimi Antonelli claimed his fourth consecutive Formula 1 victory Sunday at the Canadian Grand Prix after Mercedes teammate George Russell retired with an engine failure. The 19-year-old Antonelli opened a 43-point lead over Russell in the drivers’ standings through five of 22 races.

Antonelli previously won in China, Japan and Miami after Russell took the season-opening race in Australia.

Russell traded the lead several times over the first 30 laps before Russell’s engine failed. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton overtook Red Bull’s Max Verstappen for second place with six laps remaining. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished fourth, followed by Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri placed 11th after a team decision to start on intermediate tires. The Englishman had won the sprint race from pole position Saturday and started first on Sunday. The Mercedes pair had gone head-to-head all weekend in the fastest cars on the grid, with Russell edging Antonelli by 0.068 seconds in both the sprint and race qualifying sessions.

Tensions surfaced early in Saturday’s sprint race when the drivers made contact during an overtake attempt. Antonelli lost his cool over the team radio, calling the move “very naughty” before demanding a penalty. McLaren’s other driver retired from a gearbox issue on lap 40 after starting third.