Key events
Manufacturers standings
1 McLaren 374pts
2 Mercedes GP 199
3 Ferrari 183
4 Red Bull 162
5 Williams 55
6 Haas F1 28
7 RB 28
8 Aston Martin 22
9 Kick Sauber 20
10 Alpine 11
Drivers’ championship standings
1 Oscar Piastri (Aus) McLaren 198pts
2 Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren 176
3 Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 155
4 George Russell (Gbr) Mercedes GP 136
5 Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari 104
6 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Ferrari 79
7 Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Ita) Mercedes GP 63
8 Alexander Albon (Tha) Williams 42
9 Esteban Ocon (Fra) Haas F1 22
10 Isack Hadjar (Fra) RB 21
11 Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Sauber 20
12 Lance Stroll (Can) Aston Martin 14
13 Carlos Sainz Jr. (Spa) Williams 13
14 Pierre Gasly (Fra) Alpine 11
15 Yuki Tsunoda (Jpn) Red Bull 10
16 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Aston Martin 8
17 Oliver Bearman (Gbr) Haas F1 6
18 Liam Lawson (Nzl) RB 4
19 Gabriel Bortoleto (Bra) Sauber 0
20 Franco Colapinto (Arg) Alpine 0
21 Jack Doohan (Aus) Alpine 0
Top 10 finishers
1. George Russell (Mercedes)
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
3. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
4. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
7. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
8. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)
9. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
10. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
David Hepp asks: “Are tyre manufacturers alling behind in their tech re. speed capabilities of today’s F1 field?”
That’s one for the experts. It’s always about the rubber.
Hugh Molloy gets in touch: “My word, Verstappen and Horner are obnoxious, passive aggressive, Karens on the radio.”
Oscar Piastri is given a briefing by his team. “Amazing day for the team,” Russell tells Nico Rosberg. “The strength of our car is in these cooler conditions. We did have high expectations and it worked as we thought. Good day, good day.’”
“We managed to hang in there. we drove an attacking/defending race, the maximum possible,” says Verstappen. “We go race by race.’
Big cheers for young Kimi. “It was so stressful but I am super happy. I am really happy to bring the podium home. In the first corner I tried to have as much speed as possible.”
“Well done, team. That made up for last year,” says George Russell. “Congrats to Kimi.”
Piastri ends up extending his championship lead on Lando Norris. But Verstappen grows in threat.
“Oh my god,” says Kimi Antonelli, who uses some rude words. “It was needed,” he admits.
“Such a brilliant drive,” Toto Wolff tells George Russell. “Good day, good day.”
Russell does a flying dismount from his Merc and stage dives into his team. That was smooth as silk.
George Russell wins the Canadian Grand Prix!
70/70 Great drive from the Englishman, as he follows the safety car home, with Verstappen staring daggers in second, and Antonelli the third youngest ever on the podium.
A fourth career win for Russell, who followed up pole with a wire to wire win. Fastest lap, too.
69/70 Verstappen overtakes Russell behind the safety car but blames his rival for braking too hard. “Don’t fall for the gamesmanship,” Verstappen is told.
68/70 Piastri comes in for a pit stop, as Norris lopes home. Piastri takes a free pit, and is in fourth. Surely no time for a race like that fateful Hamilton v Verstappen in Abu Dhabi.
Safety car!
67/70 Norris is gutted. They both had DRS, and into a chicane, and went for a gap on Piastri and his front wing came off Piastri. “All my fault,” he admits.
Norris comes off and crashes!
66/70 Norris and Piastri go wheel to wheel and Piastri holds on, and Norris loses control! His wing flies off, race over for him, and everyone else. We did have a Prost v Senna after all!
65/70 Driver of the day – Kimi Antonelli, all ends up – despite Russell’s ice-cool display. Mercedes look in form. McLaren, for all their pace, are caught in a soap opera.
64/70 Russell sets a fastest lap, and his gap to Verstappen is 2.5 seconds. Antonelli continues to frustrate the McLarens.
63/70 It’s teammate v teammate. McLaren can’t afford a Prost v Senna prang.
62/70 Piastri has to fight for fourth, let alone third. Norris has a look, and thinks better of it.
61/70 Antonelli, Piastri and Norris is where the action lies. Norris is asked if he’d take a soft if there was a safety car. “Yep,” comes the simple answer.
60/70 Great driving from Antonelli, at 18. I was driving a car of 1043cc at that time. McLaren are struggling to get on the podium.
59/70 Norris is right on Piastri’s tail. Russell has added a couple of tenths on as he negotiates the backmarkers. Can Norris pass Piastri?
58/70 Verstappen is flying, as the lagging back of the field is lapped. Piastri is stuck amid the backmarkers as he chases Antonelli.
57/70 The gap between Verstappen and Russell is just over 1.5 seconds. Piastri is getting anxious as he chases down Antonelli. Good drive from the teenager.
56/70 Antonelli holds off Piastri, and that’s good for both Norris and Verstappen. Liam Lawson – at the back – has retired. Not been a happy season for the Kiwi.
55/70 Piastri gives chase to Antonelli, the McLarens are losing points to Verstappen, their main challenger.
Leclerc pits, Russell leads
54/70 Leclerc comes out in fifth, ahead of Hamilton. Russell has the race in his grasp.
53/70 Piastri is after Antonelli, under a second. Russell is waiting on Leclerc to pit. And he does….
52/70 Leclerc is told to wait. “We don’t want to do too many on the medium?” He is bemused. “Why don’t you call me in?”
51/70 Piastri sets a fastest lap as he gives chase to Antonello, and then Norris sets a fastest lap. The McLarens are flying. Too late? Albon’s problem was a power unit.
50/70 Russell has three seconds on Verstappen, and Leclerc will have to pit soon. It will come down to Russell v Verstappen, then Antonelli and Piastri.
Yellow flag – as Albon slides out
49/70 Albon’s misery complete as he pulls up. He told you his car was rubbish. He pulled out somewhere safe so no safety car, good egg.
48/70 Leclerc leads, Russell is in second, and Norris comes back out in sixth, not far behind Piastri.
