2025 Canadian Grand Prix Recap

By Ryan Wu

George Russell snatched pole position from Max Verstappen with a last-minute flying lap in qualifying, setting himself up for a potentially brilliant weekend. At the race start, Kimi Antonelli overtook Oscar Piastri, putting both Mercedes drivers in the top three alongside reigning World Champion Max Verstappen, setting the stage for a race-long battle.

On lap 66, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri engaged in a fierce duel for fourth place. The two championship contenders looked poised to deliver a thrilling showdown for the Montreal crowd, but a costly mistake from Norris on the start/finish straight saw him crash into the back of his teammate. The collision damaged Norris's car beyond repair, forcing his first DNF of the season and causing a major shift in the championship standings.

George Russell ultimately won the race under a safety car, converting his pole into Mercedes' first victory of the season. Kimi Antonelli secured the first podium of his Formula 1 career, becoming the third-youngest podium finisher in F1 history—behind only Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll.

Red Bull lodged a protest alleging that Russell was braking erratically in the closing stages of the safety car, but the results were upheld.

Norris Mistake Looms Large

Lando Norris was pressuring his teammate in the closing stages of the race but made a rare and costly mistake—one uncharacteristic of a driver of his caliber. The incident had major implications for the championship standings, as Norris lost 12 points to Oscar Piastri, widening the gap between the McLaren teammates to 22 points—the largest it has been all season. The crash also allowed Max Verstappen to capitalize, as he outscored both McLaren drivers and now sits just 21 points behind Norris and 43 behind Piastri.

Rookie Report

Kimi Antonelli continued his impressive rookie campaign by securing the first Formula 1 podium of his career. After qualifying fourth, he improved during the race to finish just ahead of championship leader Oscar Piastri. Antonelli now sits at 63 points for the season, leading all rookies by a commanding 42-point margin.

For context, the all-time rookie points record belongs to Lewis Hamilton, who scored 109 points in 2007 under a very different scoring system. When adjusted to today’s format, that total would equate to an astonishing 263 points—a truly staggering benchmark.

Elsewhere on the grid, Isack Hadjar saw his streak of three consecutive races with points being snapped as he crossed the line 16th. No other rookie outside of Antonelli scored points today with Oliver Bearman being the closest with an 11th place finish.

Racing Refresh Driver of the Day

George Russell, Mercedes

Final Points Finishing Positions

1st: George Russell

2nd: Max Verstappen

3rd: Kimi Antonelli

4th: Oscar Piastri

5th: Charles Leclerc

6th: Lewis Hamilton

7th: Fernando Alonso

8th: Nico Hulkenberg

9th: Esteban Ocon

10th: Carlos Sainz

Next on the F1 Schedule:

Austrian Grand Prix: June 27th-29th