Canadian Grand Prix: Antonelli - Hamilton - Verstappen

      Overcast. Dry. Air +12…13°C, track +17…19°C.

      When the entire weekend is spent talking about the weather, the forecast often doesn't come true. The energy of the spectators around the world disperses the clouds; everyone wants to see the race, not an empty track under red flags, which has happened more than once in Canada.

      The forecast promised rain on Sunday. The FIA issued a rain warning on Saturday afternoon. On Sunday, the sky was indeed covered with clouds, it got much colder, it rained, but then the storm receded. The girls' F1 academy raced on wet tires, while the youth Formula 2 was already on slicks, but they drove like adults.

      The weekend was dominated by Mercedes. The team won all the previous races of the season, brought the most innovations, they worked – and Mercedes once again pulled ahead.

      In the only practice session, Antonelli led, Russell won the sprint qualifying and the sprint – in the sprint, they nearly collided, prompting team principal Toto Wolff to intervene. Russell again won the main qualifying, and the level of this battle was confirmed by the equal gap in the two qualifying sessions – twice +0.068 between Russell and Antonelli.

      Russell and Antonelli started from the front row, Norris and Piastri from the second, Hamilton and Verstappen from the third.

      Aston Martin violated the conditions of the closed park by working on Lance Stroll's car – he started from the pit lane.

      Before the start, rain began to drizzle several times, keeping the track in a barely damp state, but there were no large puddles. On the out lap, Colapinto went off into the safety zone but was able to continue. Drivers complained that there was no grip at all.

      Pirelli brought a "soft" trio of compounds – C3, C4, and C5 as Hard, Medium, and Soft.

      Such a variety of compounds at the start had never been seen before – Norris, Piastri, Hülkenberg, Bortoleto, Sainz, Pérez, and Bottas started on intermediate tires, Lindblad, Colapinto, Lawson, and Gasly put on Medium, while the rest began the race on Soft. Accordingly, the grip at the start varied radically.

      ==

      The first start attempt failed. Lindblad showed that the car was not ready – the gearbox was not working, and he was slowly rolled back to the pit lane while the others went for an additional warm-up lap.

      The second attempt also did not start. Lindblad was not rolled back to the pit lane in time, and the drivers went for a second lap. Everyone's tires cooled down.

      At the start, Norris took the lead, Antonelli overtook Russell, Hamilton – Piastri. Alonso gained four positions.

      Everyone who started on intermediate tires was slower.

      The top ten on the 2nd lap: Norris - Antonelli - Russell - Hamilton - Verstappen - Leclerc - Hadjar - Colapinto - Lawson - Hülkenberg.

      Only Norris in the top ten was on intermediate tires – he was the first to pit for slicks. Following him were Hülkenberg, Bortoleto, Sainz, Piastri, Pérez. Everyone quickly switched to slicks.

      On the 4th lap, Bottas changed tires.

      The top ten on the 5th lap: Antonelli - Russell - Hamilton - Verstappen - Leclerc - Hadjar - Colapinto - Lawson - Berman - Alonso.

      On the 7th lap, Russell overtook Antonelli, taking the lead – Kimi tried to block him, locking up and nearly hitting the wall.

      On the 9th lap, Verstappen passed Hamilton in the battle for third place. Lewis complained to his engineer about a loss of power from the power unit.

      Antonelli pressured Russell, and the Mercedes drivers nearly collided but continued racing.

      Hülkenberg received a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane.

      Albon and Piastri collided at the hairpin of turn 10. For Alex, the race ended there, while Oscar received a 10-second penalty from the stewards.

      On the 16th lap, Norris pitted – the mechanics cleaned the side pod and changed tires.

      On the 18th lap, Antonelli attempted to attack for the lead when Russell made a mistake at the hairpin, but George defended again.

      The top ten on the 20th lap: Russell - Antonelli - Verstappen - Hamilton - Leclerc - Hadjar - Colapinto - Lawson - Gasly - Berman.

      On the 21st lap, Hülkenberg changed tires, and on the 22nd – Alonso.

      On the 22nd lap, Antonelli overtook Russell in the battle for the lead.

      On the 24th, Kimi made a mistake, which Russell immediately took advantage of, Antonelli counterattacked, cutting the chicane – the drivers touched wheels, and the Italian was asked to give the position back. Alonso stopped in the pits and retired from the race.

      On the 30th lap, Russell, due to a loss of power from the power unit, cut the ninth turn and stopped on the track. The car was smoking; George threw his headrest, gloves onto the track, and left the cockpit, while Kimi Antonelli took the lead.

      The race control announced a VSC mode to evacuate Russell's car, and the drivers went to the pit lane for tire changes.

      The top ten on the 33rd lap: Antonelli - Verstappen - Hamilton - Hadjar - Leclerc - Colapinto - Lawson - Gasly - Norris - Sainz.

      Leclerc attacked Hadjar, who nearly sent his opponent into the wall but maintained his position. Isaac defended quite aggressively, changing trajectory under braking – and ultimately received a 10-second penalty.

      On the 38th lap, Norris overtook Gasly in the battle for eighth place.

      On the 39th lap, Lando Norris retired from the race due to a gearbox failure.

      On the 40th lap, Pérez stopped in the pits with a broken suspension – it broke on its own while braking in the pit lane.

      On the 46th lap, the VSC mode was announced again to remove debris from Pérez's car – and the battle continued immediately.

      Bottas received a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane.

      On the 53rd lap, the VSC mode was announced again – also to remove debris. Leclerc's car spun, but there were no consequences. Hadjar and Piastri pitted and served their penalties.

      Hamilton pressured Verstappen for a long time in the battle for second place, but on the straights, the Ferrari engine lacked power to attack. However, on the 61st lap, Hamilton overtook Max.

      On the 63rd lap, Hadjar pitted, changing tires.

      The top ten on the 64th lap: Antonelli - Hamilton - Verstappen - Leclerc - Hadjar - Colapinto - Lawson - Gasly - Sainz - Berman.

      On the 65th lap, Piastri overtook Bortoleto, then Hülkenberg, moving up to 11th place. Gabriel received a five-second penalty for a violation during the VSC mode.

      Kimi Antonelli won the Canadian Grand Prix, achieving his fourth consecutive victory and significantly increasing his lead in the individual standings.

      Lewis Hamilton finished second, achieving the best result behind the wheel of a Ferrari. Max Verstappen climbed to the third step of the podium.

      Only three drivers finished on the same lap as the winner; the rest lost a lap or more. The balance of power changed – and not for the last time this season, while only the winner remains unchanged.

      In two weeks, a return to Europe – and the Monaco Grand Prix!

      Race results

      

       Driver

       Team

       Time

       Speed

       Pit

      

      

       1. K. Antonelli

       Mercedes

       1:28:15.758

       201.590

       1

      

      

       2. L. Hamilton

       Ferrari

       +10.768

       201.181

       1

      

      

       3. M. Verstappen

       Red Bull

       +11.276

       201.161

       1

      

      

       4. S. Leclerc

       Ferrari

       +44.151

       199.923

       1

      

      

       5. A. Hadjar

       Red Bull

       +1 lap

       198.437

       3

      

      

       6. F. Colapinto

       Alpine

       +1 lap

       197.896

       1

      

      

       7. L. Lawson

       Racing Bulls

       +1 lap

       197.349

       1

      

      

       8. P. Gasly

       Alpine

       +1 lap

       197.337

       1

      

      

       9. C. Sainz

       Williams

       +1 lap

       196.473

       2

      

      

       10. O. Berman

       Haas

       +1 lap

       196.435