Formula 1

George Russell wins thrilling Canadian GP Sprint from Norris and Antonelli

Fraser Masefield
5 months ago
4 min read

George Russell came out on top of a dramatic Canadian GP Sprint race to win from Lando Norris and Kimi Antonelli.

In a race that seemed destined for a Mercedes 1-2 early on, an exuberant Antonelli made an error in trying to pass his teammate on lap 3, clattering over the grass and losing position.


It meant that Russell was able to make up ground on his teenage teammate and rival to eat a few points into his championship lead.

A late charge from Oscar Piastri meant he overtook both Ferraris to finish fourth ahead of Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.

“It was a cool race. I just talked to Lando, it was definitely very difficult to get a gap around here,” commented Russell when interviewed on Sky Sports afterward.

“It felt quite easy to follow, the slipstream was quite powerful with the overtake mode, and then it was a good battle with Kimi and glad we’re both standing here after the race.”

The Sprint protagonists for race victory lined up symmetrically at the start. Two Mercedes, two McLarens, two Ferraris and two Red Bulls.

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With a free tyre choice, the majority started on medium tyres with qualifying for the feature race to come later, Arvid Lindblad the only to opt for the hard compound.


And it was Russell who got the best launch off the line to lead into the first corner, Hamilton gaining a place from Piastri.

With Mercedes bringing significant upgrades to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, it soon became apparent that they were working.

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Russell and Antonelli continued to stretch away from the rest of the field. It appeared that it was already a two-horse race by lap three.

The only question seemed to be who would win the race and how the scraps for the other important points positions would play out. But F1 is rarely as simple as that…


An engine issue for Hadjar dropped him back down the field just as Antonelli mounted an attack on teammate Russell, the Italian running wide and skipping over the runoff area and then the grass to gift Norris second.

Antonelli was furious over the radio, insisting he was alongside Russell. But replays suggested he just went in far too hot and out braked himself.

“I need to review on that because I was quite well alongside and got pushed off, but it is what it is,” said Antonelli afterwards. “Then obviously I made a mistake into Turn 8, locked up and compromised my race. But it was a good battle.”

Kimi Antonelli during Sprint Qualifying at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve on May 22, 2026 in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Sam Bagnall/Sutton Images)

It all meant that Russell found himself in charge of the race but with old rival Norris still very much in contention and soon breathing down his neck.

With laps running out, a grandstand finish had the crowd on their feet.

But it was Russell who was able to hold on from Norris and Antonelli to the flag.

The latest results means that Russell cuts Antonelli’s gap at the top of the standings to 18 points with qualifying and the feature race to come.

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Fraser Masefield

Fraser is a sports and motorsports editor with over 25 years experience. The former head editor of WilliamsF1, BMW Motorsport, Jaguar Racing and Virgin Media, he has also worked for Autosport, ESPNF1 and Eurosport amongst others.

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