George Russell controlled the chaos in Canada to claim his first victory of the 2025 Formula 1 season. But the drama didn’t stop at the chequered flag. A dramatic late crash between the two McLaren drivers and seven post-race investigations mean the final result may yet shift.
Russell, who started from pole, made a clean getaway and kept Max Verstappen behind in the opening laps. The race quickly became one of tyre strategy. With some drivers committing to two stops and others gambling on one, timing became everything.
Russell played it perfectly. He delayed his second stop until lap 43, giving himself a tyre advantage in the final stint. Verstappen tried the undercut, but never had a clear window to attack. Russell managed the gap and crossed the line to take his and Mercedes’ first win of 2025.
Behind him, the race exploded quite literally at McLaren.
Lando Norris had started on hard tyres and stretched his opening stint well. Once on mediums, he began hunting down teammate Oscar Piastri. He passed him briefly at the hairpin on lap 46, but the pair ran side by side into the final chicane. Piastri held on with later braking.
On the following straight, Norris moved to the left, aiming to retake the place. But the gap closed too quickly. He clipped the rear of Piastri’s car and was launched into the pit wall. The contact caused race-ending suspension damage.
Norris immediately took responsibility on the radio: “All on me.” The crash ended a likely double points finish for McLaren and saw Norris lose further ground in the drivers’
championship.
Despite the impact, Piastri continued and finished in fourth place. He had spent much of the race under pressure from Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who passed him off the line and held position for most of the race. Antonelli even briefly jumped Verstappen during the pit cycle. Although the Dutchman recovered the place, Antonelli stayed focused and fended off Piastri in the final laps.
That third-place finish marked Antonelli’s first Formula 1 podium, a standout result in just his rookie season. It also gave Mercedes a 1–3 finish and their strongest weekend of the year.
Charles Leclerc took fifth after expressing frustration over Ferrari’s strategy. The team abandoned a one-stop plan that initially looked feasible and instead committed to a conservative two-stop approach. His teammate, Lewis Hamilton, struggled for pace throughout. After qualifying fifth, Hamilton fell back and eventually crossed the line sixth. The team suspects that he suffered a loss of downforce after striking a groundhog early in the race.
Fernando Alonso delivered another solid drive for Aston Martin, taking seventh. Nico Hulkenberg continued his run of form with eighth for Kick Sauber. Behind them, Esteban Ocon marked Haas’ 200th Grand Prix with two points in ninth. Carlos Sainz recovered from a P16 start to finish tenth, securing a much-needed result for Williams.
Ollie Bearman just missed out in eleventh. Yuki Tsunoda, starting 18th, climbed to twelfth with a strong race. Alex Albon retired with a power unit issue on lap 48, and Liam Lawson pulled into the pits to preserve his engine. Norris was the third and final retirement.
In the standings, Piastri now leads Norris by 22 points as the championship heads to Austria.
But the Montreal result may not be final. Post-race, the stewards summoned seven drivers, Antonelli, Piastri, Leclerc, Ocon, Sainz, Pierre Gasly, and Lance Stroll, to review separate incidents during the race. Depending on the outcome, midfield positions could yet change.
With Mercedes back in form, Antonelli announcing himself in style, and McLaren reeling from self-inflicted damage, Montreal delivered a weekend full of headlines.
The stewards may still have the last word.
Stewards Update
After 5.5 hours of waiting we finally have the classification for Canada. There are no changes as the only penalty handed out was a 5 second penalty to Lando Norris for causing a collision with team mate Oscar Piastri.