Russell wins Canada Sprint after clash with Antonelli

George Russell scored a decisive Sprint victory at the Canadian Grand Prix over frustrated title leader Kimi Antonelli following the Mercedes teammates’ first on-track flashpoint of the season.

Both Mercedes drivers maintained position off the line with clean getaways for the first time this season, clearing away comfortable from Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton, who jumped Oscar Piastri for fourth around the outside of Turn 2.

With a clear view of his Mercedes teammate for the first time at the end of a first lap, Antonelli began lining up Russell for an overtake at the end of the second lap, closing onto the back of the sister car’s gearbox and challenging him down the back straight.

A missed apex for Russell at the hairpin gave him the opening. Antonelli got alongside the Englishman’s outside at the final chicane and continued the good run down the front straight.

Russell covered the inside and assumed the racing line, forcing Antonelli to attempt a move around the outside. The Italian felt he was ahead enough at the apex to be allowed room, but his teammate took the usual racing line, forcing him off across the grass and sliding back onto the track at Turn 2.

The Briton hit the brakes to avoid a crash and continued in the lead.

“That was very naughty,” Antonelli radioed. “That should be a penalty – I was alongside the mirror.”

The perceived slight seemed to still be on his mind at the Turn 8-9 chicane, where a big lock-up over a bump sent him sailing past his teammate and onto the grass, costing him so much momentum that Norris cruised past him to demote him to third.

Encouraged by the team to focus on his race, a frustrated Antonelli replied: “I don’t care – he pushed me off!”

Team boss Toto Wolff, sufficiently concerned that his teenage star was beginning to spiral, then intervened: “Kimi, concentrate on the driving please and not on the radio moaning.”

Finally Antonelli got his head down, setting the fastest lap of the race to close onto the back of Norris, who in turn was tucked under Russell’s gearbox as the leader struggled to build tire temperature down the long straights.

It took until the final lap for him to spy an opening, with Norris getting a poor exit from the hairpin. Antonelli got a great run down and out of the chicane, but he over-committed from the outside line and speared off the road on the brakes and cutting the first two turns. He was forced to hand the position back to Norris and was unable to challenge the Briton again.

The run-in gave Russell the breathing room he needed to cruise to the checkered flag unpressured to take his first win in any format since the Chinese Grand Prix sprint and reduce his championship deficit to 18 points.

“I was never really concerned, to be honest,” he said, addressing his string of defeats to Antonelli. “It was a good battle with Kimi. I’m glad we’re both standing here after the race.

“It feels like the season’s going to really start now with six races in eight weeks. Just looking forward to getting in that groove.”

Norris was upbeat to have split the Mercedes and kept up the pace after McLaren had looked decisively on the back foot in qualifying.

“It was a good race,” he said. “We were there to pick up the pieces when things happened, and they were quick.

“Kimi caught me back up pretty quickly, and then I was pretty worried from behind, but also I wanted to try and attack George ahead. It was fun. Today was a good result for us.”

Antonelli was clearly still thinking about his first flashpoint with Russell as he crossed the line.

“If we need to race like this, then it’s good to know,” he said, prompting another rebuke from Wolff: “We talk about this internally and not on the radio, OK?”

Antonelli cut a more conciliatory figure out of the car, however.

“It was a tough battle,” he said. “We were all there in terms of pace. It was not easy.

“I tried to make my move, and I need to review that, because I was quite well alongside and got pushed off, but it is what it is.

“Then obviously I made a mistake into Turn 8 because I took a big bump and I locked up. I compromised my race there, but it was a good battle.”

Piastri picked Hamilton’s pocket for fourth on the final lap, getting around his outside into the final chicane. Charles Leclerc then capitalized on his teammate’s lost momentum to take fifth place, demoting Hamilton to sixth.

Max Verstappen had a lonely race from seventh to the same position at the flag at the tail of the front-running pack. Teammate Isack Hadjar had been behind him at the start but pitted with engine trouble after eight laps and finished the Sprint several laps down. That cleared the way for Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad to score the final point.

Franco Colapinto finished ninth, up four places on the grid, ahead of Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez, though the Cadillac driver was penalized to 14th for passing off track, dropping him behind Gabriel Bortoleto and Esteban Ocon.”

Nico Hulkenberg finished 15th ahead of Lance Stroll, Oliver Bearman, Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly, all of whom started from pit lane.

Hadjar finished three laps down in 21st, while Fernando Alonso was the only retirement.

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