George Russell put on a brilliant display in Montreal, driving calmly under duress to win the Canadian Grand Prix, which was both his and Mercedes' first Grand Prix victory of the 2025 season.

Despite the ongoing tension between the two following a heated altercation in Spain in which they collided twice, the 27-year-old Brit managed to withstand a sustained challenge from Max Verstappen. Verstappen was only one penalty point away from a race ban after that incident, which left him with three penalty points on his super license.

Russell won pole position in qualifying by defeating Verstappen, and he later joked that he had "a bit more room to get his elbows out" at the beginning. He didn't need the violence, though, when the lights went out. He was well ahead thanks to a cleaner start off the line, and worries that Mercedes' tires might perform worse due to rising track temperatures were never realized.

Verstappen seldom fell behind by more than two seconds, maintaining pressure. However, the four-time world champion never found the chance to launch a significant attack, even when he was hovering inside striking distance.

Russell described as “probably the most exhilarating lap I’ve ever done in my life because around this circuit you’ve got to be so committed.”

“We knew we had the potential to win here and when it comes to ­fruition, it’s great,” Russell said. “It’s a bit of redemption after we should have won this race last year and my mistakes let the team down. I’m in a different place now, feel I’m driving better than ever and was chilled the whole race.”

18-year-old Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli, who trails Verstappen and Russell, put on a composed and mature effort to secure his first F1 podium in his rookie season. With that finish, he overtook the once-dominant McLaren team and became the third-youngest driver in Formula 1 history to finish on the podium, indicating a promising future.

Montreal, however, heightened strain for McLaren. Contact between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, two fiercely competitive drivers who are both after success in a car that has the potential to win it all, was not a question of if, but rather when, as team principal Zak Brown had previously recognized. And so it came to pass. Brown's previous prediction came to life in dramatic form when Norris struck the back of Piastri's car while trying a late move down near Turn 1 as they were battling for fourth place, just three circuits from the checkered flag.

Throughout the weekend, Lando Norris had briefly demonstrated that he was the McLaren driver with the fastest lap. However, two costly mistakes in qualifying left him eighth on the grid and forced him to play catch-up from the beginning. He first overshot the chicane and then brushed the wall at Turn 7. He was still involved in the battle, though. During the race, Norris decided to use a different tire strategy and relentlessly closed the gap, lap by lap, with teammate Oscar Piastri.

His moment came when Piastri was forced to lift, just enough for Norris to get into DRS range, after being caught behind backmarkers at the exact wrong moment. A frantic, wheel-to-wheel race down the main straight ensued next. Piastri repelled the opening assault by holding the inside into the chicane. But as they sped near Turn 1, Norris, unwilling to give up, changed lines and headed for the outside.

It was a daring move, but it was a little too near. Piastri's left rear tyre was struck by Norris's car's front wing as he edged in. His race was abruptly halted by the subtle but definitive contact, which also brought a bitter end to a powerful recovery drive.

With so little time remaining, the race could not be restarted after the crash that caused a safety car. amid an attempt to warm up his tires and brakes before a possible green flag appeared, George Russell abruptly applied the brakes amid the ensuing mayhem. Unprepared for the sudden braking, Max Verstappen sprang forward and passed him behind the safety car, which is against FIA rules.

Verstappen later claimed that he was unable to react in time and attributed the incident to Russell's forceful braking. The two have clashed multiple times this season, and this was just another escalation in their long-simmering feud. However, yellow flags caused the race to cease before things got out of hand. Not letting it go, Red Bull officially protested after the race, even though the result was still the same with no laps remaining.

Norris over team radio: “All my bad, all my fault, stupid from me.”

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