Image: from PitWall Pixels X @PitWallPixels
By Open Chronicle with agencies
George Russell secured victory in the Sprint race at the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix after surviving intense pressure from both teammate Kimi Antonelli and Lando Norris during a dramatic 23-lap contest in Montreal.
After dominating Sprint Qualifying with a Mercedes front-row lockout, Russell and Antonelli converted their strong starts into an early advantage as the race got underway at the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit. The updated technical regulations, which have made race starts increasingly unpredictable throughout the season, caused no issues for Mercedes this time, allowing both drivers to immediately break away from the pack.
Behind them, Lewis Hamilton made an excellent launch for Ferrari, overtaking Oscar Piastri on the opening lap to move into fourth position.
The Sprint quickly evolved into an internal Mercedes battle. Antonelli began attacking Russell as early as lap three, showing superior pace and repeatedly attempting overtakes on his teammate. His first serious move came on lap five into Turn 1, where he drew alongside Russell but ran out of space.
Moments later, Antonelli launched another aggressive attack, making wheel-to-wheel contact with Russell before running off the circuit. The incident visibly frustrated the young Italian, who repeatedly complained over team radio and demanded action against Russell. Mercedes engineers attempted several times to calm him down and refocus him on the race.
Antonelli’s frustration continued to grow after another mistake on lap six, when he locked up and ran wide at Turn 8 during another overtaking attempt. The error allowed Norris to close in rapidly and transformed the battle for victory into a three-way fight.
From that point onward, the McLaren driver applied heavy pressure on Antonelli and eventually entered direct contention for the lead. Meanwhile, Hamilton began struggling with pace degradation in the Ferrari and soon came under attack from both Piastri and Charles Leclerc.
Further down the order, the Sprint proved difficult for Brazilian rookie Gabriel Bortoleto. The Audi driver suffered a poor start and lost several positions during the opening laps, including to Liam Lawson, who had started from the pit lane. Teammate Nico Hülkenberg also faded after making an early mistake.
Another key moment involved Isack Hadjar. The Racing Bulls driver had been running competitively behind Max Verstappen before suddenly losing power and retiring from the race.
In the closing stages, Russell came under enormous pressure from Norris after losing time while navigating lapped traffic, particularly around Alexander Albon. Despite the challenge, the Mercedes driver maintained his composure and held onto the lead through the final laps.
Antonelli’s aggressive approach ultimately cost him second place. On the final lap, the Italian attempted another ambitious move, this time around the outside of Norris at Turn 1, but ran wide and lost momentum, allowing the McLaren driver to secure second position.
Russell crossed the line first to claim the Sprint victory, followed by Norris and Antonelli. Piastri finished fourth after overtaking Hamilton late in the race, while Leclerc also passed the seven-time world champion to complete the top five. Hamilton dropped to sixth, Verstappen finished seventh, and Arvid Lindblad claimed the final points position in eighth.
Bortoleto initially crossed the line in 13th place but was promoted to 12th after Sergio Pérez received a 10-second penalty for forcing another driver off the track.
The result further reinforced Mercedes’ status as favorites for the remainder of the Montreal weekend, although McLaren and Ferrari demonstrated competitive long-run pace. Antonelli, despite finishing on the podium, appeared visibly disappointed after losing positions due to his own errors during the intense fight for victory.
Canadian GP Sprint Results
- George Russell, Mercedes
- Lando Norris, McLaren
- Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
- Oscar Piastri, McLaren
- Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
- Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull
- Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls