Montreal, 23 May 2026

George Russell secured a lights-to-flag victory in the Formula 1 sprint race at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal on Saturday, with teammate Kimi Antonelli finishing second after a dramatic on-track battle.

The 23-lap sprint, part of the Canadian Grand Prix weekend, saw Russell control the race from pole position while Antonelli attacked repeatedly in a tense intra-Mercedes contest.

Antonelli, the 19-year-old World Championship leader, went off into the gravel on two separate occasions as his aggressive overtaking attempts failed. The Italian pushed hard against Russell, with the pair making light contact on lap six.

Immediately afterward, Antonelli complained over the team radio: "Das muss eine Strafe geben, er hat mich rausgedrückt!"

Radio Tensions Flare

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff replied sharply: "Kimi, konzentriere dich auf das Autofahren und höre mit dem Jammern am Funk auf!"

The distraction proved costly. Defending champion Lando Norris, driving for McLaren, took advantage of Antonelli’s loss of concentration and overtook him to move into second place, demoting Antonelli to third.

Antonelli, who had already run wide earlier in the race, attempted to reclaim second from Norris in the closing laps but went off track again. His car suffered slight damage in the excursion, and he was unable to retake the position.

Antonelli’s Off-Track Moments

After the checkered flag, Wolff delivered another firm message: "Kimi! Wir besprechen das nachher - und sicher nicht am Funk." Antonelli later told reporters: "Wenn wir so Rennen fahren, wird das nichts ..."

Despite the chaotic sprint, Antonelli still leads the World Championship standings. Russell’s victory earned him two points, but the British driver trails his teammate by 18 points.

Championship Picture

Norris held on for third, while his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri finished fourth. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton crossed the line behind, with Hamilton surviving a light brush with the notorious Wall of Champions.

Mercedes introduced upgrades to their cars for the Montreal weekend, and the intra-team fight appears set to intensify as the championship battle continues.

The main Canadian Grand Prix is scheduled for Sunday at 22:00 CEST, broadcast live on ServusTV. Qualifying was set to be shown on SRF starting at 21:55.