George Russell claimed a hard-fought victory at the 2025 Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix, fending off Max Verstappen and rookie sensation Kimi Antonelli to secure a dramatic win at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
The 70-lap thriller ended under safety car conditions after late chaos between the McLarens, but it was a dream result for Mercedes, with Russell taking the top step and Antonelli earning his first career podium in just his ninth Grand Prix.
For Kiwi fans, however, it was a day to forget as Liam Lawson endured a frustrating race that ended with retirement just 14 laps from the finish.
A Shuffled Grid and Opening Drama
The race began with pre-race shake-ups that saw both Lawson and Pierre Gasly starting from pit lane due to new power unit components. Lance Stroll and Yuki Tsunoda were also anchored to the back of the grid.
At the front, Russell got the jump on pole-sitter Verstappen at lights out, seizing the lead into Turn 1. Behind them, Mercedes’ young gun Antonelli launched cleanly to snatch third from Oscar Piastri with a bold move into Turn 2.
In the midfield, chaos briefly flared as Franco Colapinto and Alex Albon tangled for space, forcing Albon into the grass, though he managed to rejoin.
Strategic Uncertainty and Midfield Shuffles
As the field settled, Russell stretched a slender lead over Verstappen. The Mercedes duo, along with most of the frontrunners, opted for the medium compound tyres, while others, including Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, and Lawson, started on the hards, hinting at different strategies in play.
By Lap 13, Verstappen was the first of the frontrunners to blink, diving into the pits for hard tyres in an aggressive undercut attempt. Russell responded the next lap, narrowly rejoining ahead of his title rival. Meanwhile, Antonelli, Colapinto, and others followed suit over the next few laps.
Hamilton and Alonso boxed on Lap 16, but Alonso lost significant ground due to a sluggish stop, rejoining all the way back in 17th. The McLaren duo briefly led the race on alternate strategies, with Norris even pulling a clean move on Hamilton before the stops.
Piastri was the first McLaren in on Lap 17, rejoining in 7th and immediately showing blistering pace, setting a new fastest lap of 1:15.570. Albon, whose tyres fell off a cliff after 24 laps, dropped to 20th after his stop and would later retire with a power unit issue.
The One-Stoppers Gamble – And Ferrari Drama
At the halfway mark, strategy took centre stage. Several drivers looked to be committing to the risky one-stop, including Norris, Leclerc, and Lawson, who had impressively climbed to 13th without pitting from the pit lane start.
But Ferrari’s call on Lap 29 raised eyebrows. Leclerc was unhappy with his team after being brought in while still comfortable on his hard tyres.
“I just told you the tyres were fine. Why did we box?” Leclerc asked over the team radio.
“We are on Plan B,” came the reply, one that did little to ease Leclerc’s frustration.
Norris pitted a lap later, bolting on the mediums to keep his strategy flexible, but with 40 laps remaining, the move seemed aggressive given prior degradation. Russell resumed the lead, followed by Verstappen, Antonelli, Piastri, and Norris.
Verstappen blinked first again, pitting for a second time on Lap 38. Antonelli came in the following lap, rejoining side-by-side with Verstappen, who just managed to stay ahead thanks to already-warmed tyres.
Lawson’s Gamble Unravels
Lawson finally pitted for mediums in the middle stages, committing to the one-stop strategy. It was a necessary roll of the dice after starting from the pit lane, with the Kiwi hoping to benefit from track position as others pitted twice. But the gamble didn’t pay off.
Struggling with pace and unable to make inroads in a race where DRS trains made overtaking difficult, Lawson slipped backward. He was noted by race control for ignoring blue flags and dropped to last, over 18 seconds off the next car.
Ultimately, the team decided to retire the car on Lap 56 after the car suffered from an issue with the cooling system and the team opting to look after the new power unit.
“Really sorry, mate, it’s a hard day, and this is the cherry on top, but we had to take care of this PU,” said his engineer over the team radio.
With teammate Isack Hadjar also running out of the points in 15th, it wasn’t looking like a good day in the Racing Bulls camp.
As the race entered its final phase, the fight for the final podium spot heated up. Antonelli and Piastri engaged in a tense battle for third, with Norris closing rapidly behind.
With six laps to go, Piastri managed to claw within DRS range of Antonelli. The McLaren teammates went wheel-to-wheel as Norris saw an opening and lunged, but the door shut fast.
He ended up in the grass, damaging his front wing and left front suspension. The stricken McLaren caught fire moments later, forcing him to stop on track and triggering a safety car with three laps remaining.
Norris took full responsibility for the incident.
With the safety car neutralising the final laps, Russell cruised to victory ahead of Verstappen and Antonelli, who became the third-youngest driver to ever stand on a Formula 1 podium.
Piastri and Leclerc rounded out the top five, followed by Hamilton, Alonso, Hülkenberg, Ocon, and Sainz in the points.
Hülkenberg enjoyed yet another strong outing, making it back-to-back points finishes for the German driver.
After going eight races without scoring a point this season, Fernando Alonso has now secured back-to-back top-ten finishes, crossing the line seventh for Aston Martin.
Ocon brought Haas home in ninth in the team’s milestone 200th Grand Prix, helping them leap ahead of Racing Bulls in the Constructors’ Championship. Meanwhile, Sainz delivered a solid recovery drive from a frustrating Saturday to claim the final point for Williams.
Russell’s victory marks a crucial win in the title fight and a sign of Mercedes’ rising form, while Antonelli’s maturity continues to shine on the big stage. McLaren will rue what could’ve been, while Ferrari remains mired in strategic second-guessing.
Verstappen keeps his race clean to avoid a race ban for another weekend.
With Piastri’s fourth place finish, he further extends his lead in the drivers championship, now 22 points ahead of Norris and still 43 points ahead of Verstappen.
As for Lawson, the day started with a setback and ended in disappointment. The bold strategy didn’t pay off, but given the circumstances, the team had little choice but to try something unconventional.
With a more stable setup and a less compromised start, the Kiwi will be hoping for a better showing next time out.
Formula 1 takes a week off before returning to the Red Bull Ring in Austria, with the Austrian Grand Prix scheduled for Monday, 30th June, at 1.00 am NZT.
Header Image: Mark Thompson/Getty Images via Red Bull Content Pool
