The title battle finally came alive - then Antonelli took control

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. The title battle finally came alive - then Antonelli took controlImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Kimi Antonelli is now 43 points ahead of Mercedes team-mate George Russell in the drivers' championshipByAndrew Benson F1 CorrespondentPublished25 May 2026, 01:51 BSTUpdated 7 hours agoThe Canadian Grand Prix was the race in which the Formula 1 title battle finally came alive this year. It was also, however, the race in which it took a potentially decisive turn, putting a huge dent in George Russell's hopes of beating his 19-year-old Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli to the championship. Russell's retirement from the race came after 30 laps of frenetic battling between the pair which lit up the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on a damp, gloomy day so cold it tempted world champions McLaren into a seemingly inexplicable decision to start the race on a dry track on wet-weather tyres.

The Briton's retirement handed the win to Antonelli, his fourth in a row, and the Italian now has a massive 43-point lead. Doubtless there are many twists and turns to come in the remaining 17 races. Even so, that will take some recovering.

The Details

Afterwards, Russell was stoic but understandably downbeat. "Right now it's his to lose," he said. "He is so many points ahead.

It feels like the gods don't want me to be in this fight, when I look at the safety-car timing in Japan, breaking down in China Q3, fighting for pole, breaking down from the lead here today. "But, you know, the pressure's off. Go out, enjoy every single race.

Try to win every single race. And I've got nothing to lose. "I don't want to be stood here talking like that.

What Experts Say

It is, of course, frustrating, but I want to be in that fight. Hopefully, the luck will turn. "Antonelli wins again to capitalise on Russell retirement in Canada Published10 hours agoHamilton 'all smiles' & Antonelli 'not afraid to fight' - driver ratings Published7 hours agoChequered Flag podcast: Ecstasy, agony and strategy blunders Russell's references to luck refer to a series of situations where the dice have very much fallen in Antonelli's favour.

Two separate technical problems in qualifying in Shanghai prevented him fighting for pole. Antonelli took it instead, and his first win followed. In Japan, Russell had been running second to McLaren's Oscar Piastri in the early laps, while Antonelli fought back after falling to sixth with a slow start.

The safety car came out after Russell had made his pit stop and before Antonelli had made his, handing the lead to the Italian on a plate, and leaving Russell a frustrated fourth. It was far from a foregone conclusion that Russell would have converted his lead into a win in Montreal. The two had fought so hard for so long, and were running together at the time, the fight having cooled a little after they had both been warned the team would step in if they did not tidy things up after some incidents that team boss Toto Wolff felt were too close for comfort.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.