Antonelli’s Montreal charge extends Mercedes’ early grip on the 2026 F1 season

Canada May 22-24

When the year ends with a ‘6’, it seems to bring a ferocious fight between the two drivers at a dominant Mercedes team. For Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton in 2016, read Kimi Antonelli and George Russell in ’26. Sadly, the high-cholesterol duel between the duo at the Canadian Grand Prix ended just before half-distance, with battery failure sidelining Russell, leaving Antonelli to take his fourth GP victory on the trot.

The Italian was already decidedly grumpy following the Saturday sprint race in Montreal, where contact with his British team-mate sent him wide. Russell went on to win that event from the McLaren of reigning world champion Lando Norris, with Antonelli third. Russell then went on to claim pole position for Sunday’s main event.

Mark Hughes’ Driver of the day

Carlos Sainz

Lewis Hamilton won a fan vote for driver of the day after his second-place finish in Canada – his best ever grand prix result for Ferrari – which came after a late race battle with Max Verstappen. But I’ve gone for Carlos Sainz, who managed to haul an uncompetitive Williams into SQ3 sprint qualifying, this the prequel to overcoming the odds in the main race after the disadvantage of starting on inters to recover to a ninth-place finish – and with it, two valuable points.

A slippery track prompted McLaren to make the wrong call, fitting both Norris and Oscar Piastri with intermediate tyres for the start of the GP. Norris burst through the two Mercedes to take the lead, and Antonelli was just lining up a pass into the final chicane at the end of the second lap when the McLaren dived into the pits. Norris would never be a factor, eventually retiring with gearbox failure.

A fraught battle between Antonelli and Russell hit its zenith with wheelbanging into the final chicane sending the younger man across the run-off. Antonelli was ordered to hand the lead back, but then got his present of Russell’s exit from the race.

Max Verstappen moved his Red Bull up to second, only for Lewis Hamilton, going great guns in his Ferrari, to sweep ahead into Turn 1 with seven laps remaining. Hamilton’s team-mate Charles Leclerc got the better of a battle with Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar for fourth. Hadjar kept fifth despite a late stop-go penalty for a yellow-flag infringement, while Franco Colapinto drove his Alpine to sixth.

1st Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:28:15.758
2nd Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +10.768sec
3rd Max Verstappen Red Bull +11.276sec

Miami May 1-3

Three consecutive poor starts from pole position for Kimi Antonelli; and three grand prix victories in a row. Mercedes’ young Italian doesn’t like to make things easy for himself, and again he had to fight to take the honours in Miami.

The early stages featured Antonelli fighting with Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari and the McLaren of reigning world champion Lando Norris, whose season had taken an upturn with victory in the sprint race on Saturday. Leclerc was then dropped, and Norris lost his advantage when Antonelli pitted one lap earlier than the Briton and got the undercut to emerge in front.

While Antonelli held on to defeat Norris, Oscar Piastri completed a McLaren 2-3 after Leclerc faded. A calamitous last lap – he spun into the wall – cost Leclerc further places to George Russell and the Red Bull of first-lap spinner Max Verstappen. Time penalties further dropped Leclerc to eighth.

Driver of the day: Kimi Antonelli
He was a cut above, his flowing car control and laser accuracy allowing him to keep the tyres from overheating while setting a scorching pace.

1st Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:33:19.273
2nd Lando Norris McLaren +3.264sec
3rd Oscar Piastri McLaren +27.092sec

MONTH IN NUMBERS

4
Wins in a row for Antonelli – the first driver to take his first four GP wins consecutively

2.08sec
Fastest pitstop of the month by Arvid Lindblad – Racing Bulls in the Miami GP

3
Number of times Carlos Sainz has finished a GP in ninth this year – in just five races

219.8
Fastest speed trap figure in mph: this time it’s Kimi Antonelli in the Canadian GP sprint

41
Years since an Italian last won a GP at Montreal: Michele Alboreto in 1985