ANTONELLI WINS AGAIN AFTER A DRAMATIC CANADIAN GP
Kimi Antonelli wins his fourth race in a row, taking advantage of his teammate’s retirement to strengthen his lead in the drivers’ championship. Lewis Hamilton finishes in second place, putting in one of his best Ferrari performances on one of his favorite tracks.
Max Verstappen completes the podium in third for Red Bull, getting the most out of his race. It was a disaster for McLaren, as both cars finished outside the points after a wrong tire choice at the start, multiple issues for both drivers, and a retirement for reigning champion Lando Norris.
Before the start, light rain created confusion over tire strategy. McLaren chose intermediate tires for both Norris and Piastri, while Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull went for dry soft tires. The start was also delayed due to a problem with Lindblad’s Racing Bulls car, leading to extra formation laps.
Even with the damp conditions, Norris gained positions at the start thanks to better grip from the intermediates, but both McLarens had to pit very early as their strategy failed.
Early in the race, George Russell led ahead of Antonelli, Hamilton, Verstappen, and Leclerc. The two Mercedes drivers fought closely for the lead, with Russell keeping first place for most of the opening stages.
Antonelli stayed close and continued attacking, while Verstappen moved up into third ahead of Hamilton. McLaren, meanwhile, dropped far back after their early pit stops and problems.
The battle between the Mercedes drivers continued for many laps, with small mistakes and strong defense from Russell. Antonelli finally took the lead briefly, but Russell fought back.
However, everything changed on lap 30 when Russell retired due to a Mercedes problem, allowing Antonelli to retake the lead. A virtual safety car followed, and most teams pitted.
After the restart, the race became a battle between Red Bull and Ferrari for second place. Hamilton began to close the gap to Verstappen, while Antonelli controlled the lead with a strong advantage. Further back, Leclerc recovered positions after losing time during the pit stops.
Norris retired from the race on lap 40 due to a McLaren issue, adding to their difficult day. Perez also retired later after a suspension failure.
In the final stages, Hamilton continued to catch Verstappen and eventually overtook him with a strong move. Verstappen tried to fight back but could not retake second place.
Antonelli kept his lead until the end and crossed the line first, followed by Hamilton in second and Verstappen in third. Leclerc finished fourth, followed by Hadjar, Colapinto, Lawson, Gasly, Sainz, and Bearman.
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