|
Kimi Antonelli won the
Canadian Grand Prix. The 19-year-old Italian was involved in a fierce battle
with his Mercedes team-mate George Russell, who was eventually forced to
retire due to a technical problem with his car. Behind Antonelli, two world
champions returned to the podium: seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton
in second place and Max Verstappen in third.
Tyre choices at the
start were varied, as a still slightly damp track prompted several drivers
to fit Intermediates. This was the case for the McLaren pair, Audi, Cadillac
and Carlos Sainz in the Williams. With the track drying quickly, everyone
switched to slick tyres within the first three laps. Pierre Gasly, Franco
Colapinto and Liam Lawson (as well as Arvin Lindblad, who did not start)
opted for the Medium on the grid, while the rest of the field started on the
Soft.
For the majority of drivers, a one-stop strategy proved to be
the right call. The first four finishers, starting on the C5, took advantage
of a Virtual Safety Car to make their pit stop on lap 31 and switch to the
C4.
Alpine’s strategy was also noteworthy, with both drivers starting
on the Medium before switching to the Hard, allowing them to finish in sixth
and eighth positions. All the compounds selected for this weekend therefore
proved to be valid options on the Gilles Villeneuve circuit in Montreal.
With this victory, Antonelli, now on 131 points, strengthens his lead in
the championship title fight. The Italian now has a 43-point advantage over
second-placed George Russell. Leclerc follows, 56 points behind Antonelli.
The next F1 round takes place in two weeks’ time at the Monaco Grand Prix.
DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR
“It did not rain during the Canadian Grand Prix, but in the end rain was
still, in some respects, a key factor in the race, at least as far as the
start was concerned.
The decision by four teams, including McLaren,
to fit Intermediates in anticipation of a sudden change in the weather was a
gamble that did not pay off, as it became immediately clear once the lights
went out that the race would be run on a dry track.
The low
temperatures pushed the remaining teams to rely on the softest compound
which, thanks to its greater grip, helped the tyres reach their operating
window, despite the additional difficulties caused by the two extra
formation laps.
As we described yesterday, the C5 was the joker of
this Sunday thanks to its consistency, which allowed drivers to run until
the first neutralisation, but the theoretically quickest strategy
nevertheless confirmed its effectiveness. This is demonstrated by the
positions gained by the two Alpine drivers, who started on the Medium and
finished the race in the points on the Hard.
Graining, despite the
cold conditions, was very limited and did not affect tyre performance over a
stint, allowing the drivers to focus on on-track battles, which once again
delivered an entertaining Grand Prix.
The fastest lap today, set by
race winner Kimi Antonelli, was less than a tenth of a second slower than
the quickest race lap recorded in 2025 by his team-mate Russell, a sign that
car development is progressing at full speed and in the right direction."
Formula 2:
After an exciting race, Martinius Stenshorne secured
victory in the Feature Race in Canada. Alex Dunne added to the joy for Rodin
Motorsport by finishing second. Behind the two team-mates, Gabriele Minì
crossed the line in third position.
Conditions during the Feature
Race at the Gilles Villeneuve circuit were very challenging. In addition to
a few drops of rain, strong winds made life difficult for the drivers. This
led to several incidents and numerous Safety Car interventions. In the end,
the top three finishers adopted the same strategy, starting on the Supersoft
before switching to the Soft.
At the end of an intense race,
Stenshorne kept his cool in the most difficult conditions to take the win.
Thanks to his third place, Minì now moves into the lead of the championship
standings. With 57 points, the Italian holds a 10-point advantage over
Nikola Tsolov.
|
