2026 Canadian Grand Prix: Recap
The 2026 Canadian Grand Prix was welcomed with rain which made the track wet and cold. This led to teams debating their tire strategy going into the race start. The Mercedes were starting P1 and P2, and the McLarens P3 and P4. Two extra formation laps were given after Arvid Lindblad’s (Racing Bulls) car stalled on the grid. By this time, the track had started to dry already. Instantly, Oscar Piastri (McLaren) voiced his concern over the intermediate tire choice for the wet weather.
Lap 1 began, and Lando Norris (McLaren) launched to P1, and Piastri quickly fell to P5. Piastri immediately went to the pit to get medium tires, with Norris doing the same on lap 2. Other teams had made the same tire choice, but only the McLarens were in the top 10. With McLaren falling behind early, the lineup was Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), George Russell (Mercedes), Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), and Max Verstappen (Red Bull) just behind.
The track at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve was cold, along with the air temperature, which were unfavorable conditions for any driver. This circuit is also very stop-start, with lots of heavy braking, so it is easy for the cars to lock up or be pushed too far if not careful. Toward the end of lap 6, Russell led with his teammate Antonelli behind him. They entered a tight fight, and Antonelli locked up in the dirty air behind the Mercedes. On lap 9, Verstappen overtook Hamilton for P3. Hamilton exclaimed, “I have no power guys!” The fight between the Mercedes teammates continued as they passed each other back and forth, both relentlessly fighting for the pole position. Suddenly, Russell made a mistake at the tight hairpin and allowed Antonelli through for only a second.
On lap 13, Piastri pitted again after receiving a 10-second penalty for crashing into Alex Albon (Williams). Piastri’s car locked up, and he was unable to avoid an incident with Albon, who had to retire from the race. On lap 17, Norris was told, “We need to pit this lap, it’s a liability problem,” which was later revealed to be an attempt to prevent engine failure. The commentators added, “The McLarens will delete this day.” Unfortunately, the tire choice at the beginning of the Grand Prix and car issues set them back early, and they were unable to gain back their starting positions.
It is important to note that Russell is notoriously good at the Canadian circuit, and Antonelli’s first-ever podium was at Canada last year, so we had two very good drivers on the same team competing for P1. Approaching the hairpin, Russell locked up once again and allowed Antonelli to pass. Antonelli then locked up two laps later, and Russell took it back. It was a true display of two drivers pushing their cars to the max on the unforgiving track. The two then made contact, and Antonelli took back pole in the midst of the chaos. His team commented, “Give the position back.” And Antonelli retorted, “Why, mate? He pushed me off, I was ahead.” While both rightfully wanted the pole position, it was important to consider that they are also teammates and, with the aggressive driving, could have both been forced to retire if something had happened.
Russell took it back anyway just moments later. Unfortunately, after pushing his car to the limits, on lap 30, Russell suddenly drove off the track after his car had a power unit and battery failure. Russell was visibly upset and threw his headrest out of the car. It was reported that he was later given a fine that is suspended unless he commits a similar offense. On lap 40, Norris retired as well due to a gearbox failure.
Hamilton and Verstappen had then entered their own battle for P2. Verstappen’s tire logo brushed the Wall of Champions, leaving everyone a bit concerned since the last driver to crash there was in 2005. Hamilton exclaimed again, “I need more power, mate.” He could not seem to push his car any harder. Hamilton took P2 on lap 62 after Franco Colapinto (Alpine) got in Verstappen’s way.
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) was in P4 but was 21 seconds behind the car ahead. Other drivers behind him were getting lapped multiple times. Verstappen locked up in the hairpin on lap 67 and was unable to catch up to Hamilton. On the final lap, Antonelli crossed the finish line for his fourth consecutive win: “Not the way I wanted to win, but a good fight with George, and we will take it.” With Antonelli’s win, he now leads the 2026 championship by an impressive 43 points. Hamilton came in P2: “A result we deserve. Let’s keep pushing.” Verstappen placed P3 for his first time on the podium this season. Ending out the points in P10 was Oliver Bearman (Haas). The Canadian Grand Prix truly remains unpredictable. Fans witnessed what happens to even the best drivers on the merciless track when they push their car to the limit.
Tune in to the next race, the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix, Sunday, June 7, with East Bay F1 at Griffin Motorwerke in Berkeley. More details available here.
