The Canadian Grand Prix delivered high drama on Sunday as George Russell claimed Mercedes’ first victory of the 2025 Formula 1 season. The Briton’s triumphant drive, his first win since November 2024, came amid a chaotic race that saw McLaren teammates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris collide in the closing stages.
Russell fended off a strong challenge from Max Verstappen to take the checkered flag in Montreal, with Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli achieving a maiden Formula 1 podium in third. While Russell’s win initially came under scrutiny due to a protest from Red Bull alleging erratic driving under the Safety Car, the victory was officially confirmed nearly six hours after the race concluded as the protest was rejected.
“It’s amazing to be back on the top step,” Russell said after the race. “The last time for us was back in Vegas. I felt last year was a victory lost and probably got the victory today due to the incredible pole lap yesterday. Obviously so happy to see Kimi on the podium as well.
“Amazing day for the team. Thanks to everyone back at the factory for working to get us back fighting for victories. It feels good.”
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While Russell’s calm and controlled performance secured his win, the battle for fourth turned chaotic as McLaren teammates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris tangled in the final laps. The drama unfolded on Lap 66 when Norris attempted an audacious move on Piastri at the Turn 10 hairpin. The pair went side by side down the back straight at over 200mph before Piastri’s defensive position forced Norris into a non-existent gap approaching Turn 1. The resulting contact saw Norris’ front wing shatter, forcing him into retirement, while Piastri continued and settled for a fourth-place finish.
Into the wall and out of the race! 😱
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 15, 2025
Lando Norris apologised for this collision with his teammate Oscar Piastri #F1 #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/4FiNVm1hiI
Seemingly regretful, Norris took full responsibility for the incident. “No one to blame but myself, so I apologize to the whole team and to Oscar as well for attempting something probably a bit too silly,” he told Sky Sports F1. “Glad I didn’t ruin his race. In the end, apologies to the team.”
Piastri carried his disappointment quietly but maintained his lead in the drivers’ championship by 22 points over Norris and 43 points over Verstappen.
Max Verstappen, who finished second after a race-long battle with Russell, was satisfied with his team’s performance despite falling short of victory. Delivering a calculated race with Red Bull’s strategic aggressiveness, Verstappen acknowledged the limitations that prevented him from challenging for the win.
“Today we definitely maximized everything that we had available. We drove quite a defensive race today and it was quite tough out there. The tire degradation was quite high and in the first two stints we were going through the tires quite quickly.
“We were quite aggressive with our strategy to stay ahead and during the last pit stop I thought it might be difficult to make it to the end. The last stint helped us a bit with the lighter fuel load and we were a bit more kind on the tires which was positive. If you look at the whole race this was the maximum result possible.
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“We didn’t really have the pace to fight upfront and had a bit too much degradation to be in the fight for the win, so I’m happy to be P2. The gap wasn’t big to George but didn’t think I had the pace to fight for the win. There are lots of positives from the weekend: as a team we did the best performance possible, got it right and our car was in a decent window.”
He added, “Looking to the next race we have a bit of work to do with our tire management and the degradation but lots of positives to take forward.”
Perhaps one of the most significant stories of the race came from Kimi Antonelli, who earned his first-ever F1 podium in an impressive display of skill and composure. The Mercedes rookie capitalized on his strong race pace and avoided the midfield chaos to bring home third, adding another highlight to a memorable weekend for the team.
Elsewhere, Charles Leclerc finished fifth for Ferrari after struggling with strategy decisions, while Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton endured a frustrating afternoon. Hamilton sustained damage after hitting a groundhog on Lap 13, which hampered his pace and left him to settle for sixth.
Fernando Alonso secured a season-best seventh for Aston Martin, followed by Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg, Haas’ Esteban Ocon, and Williams’ Carlos Sainz in the top ten. Home favorite Lance Stroll faced disappointment after receiving a penalty for forcing Pierre Gasly off track, while Alex Albon and Liam Lawson retired from the race early.