Russell loses the engine while leading and Antonelli takes the Canadian GP — is the championship already over?

The 2026 Canadian Grand Prix had everything a motorsport fan could ask for: rain before the start, bizarre tyre gambles, a teammate fight with actual contact, and a retirement that swung the championship in one moment. And in the middle of all of it, Kimi Antonelli crossing the line alone, extending his advantage, and moving closer and closer to a title that’s starting to look less like an open fight.

Russell was leading the race when his Mercedes suffered a power unit failure on lap 30. After going over the grass at Turn 8 and stopping just after the chicane, Russell climbed out of the car in a furious rage. Not only had his first win since the season opener in Australia slipped away. He’d lost Montreal, a circuit he won last year, and handed his own teammate 25 extra points in the process. To make matters worse, the stewards noted him for throwing his headrest out of the car. An afternoon to forget in every possible way.

With the victory, Antonelli secured his fourth win of the season, having previously taken China, Japan and Miami. Mercedes pushed their constructors’ championship advantage to 77 points.

The start: McLaren gambles big and loses everything

With rain falling ahead of the race, there were genuine differences in interpretation across the paddock. Most drivers opted for slick tyres, but McLaren made the surprise call to start Norris and Piastri on intermediates. Audi, Carlos Sainz, Lance Stroll and the Cadillacs followed suit.

The grid had complications even before the lights went out: Arvid Lindblad’s Racing Bulls was stationary on the grid, triggering one aborted start, then another. Three formation laps in total before racing began.

When the lights finally went out, Norris shot into the lead immediately on his intermediates, on a track that was essentially already dry. It didn’t last. Piastri pitted at the end of lap one to switch to mediums. Norris held on a little longer, but also had to give in. Both McLarens dropped to the back of the field.

McLaren’s situation deteriorated further when Piastri made contact with Alex Albon’s Williams at the hairpin, leaving debris on the track and forcing the McLaren back to the pits for a replacement front wing. He received a 10-second penalty for putting Albon out of the race. Norris, meanwhile, retired on lap 40 at the hairpin with a suspected gearbox failure. McLaren’s Sunday: two drivers, zero points, one retirement. A day to erase.

Laps 1 to 30: the battle Montreal didn’t deserve to lose

With the McLarens out of the picture, what remained was the fight nobody ordered but everyone wanted to see: Russell versus Antonelli, teammates, each one on either side of the same championship battle, swapping positions on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve with an aggression that hadn’t been seen between two cars of the same colour in a long time.

Five laps in, Antonelli led over Russell with Hamilton, Verstappen, Leclerc and Hadjar completing the top six. Colapinto, Lawson, Bearman and Alonso were next.

The intensity never dropped. Russell led for much of the opening half, with Antonelli within a second. A lock-up from Russell briefly handed the lead to Antonelli before the Briton got back ahead into the chicane.

Things escalated on lap 24, when the two made glancing contact at the final chicane. Antonelli briefly passed Russell off the track and was instructed by the stewards to hand the position back. At that point, this race had all the ingredients to become one of the most memorable of the season. Six laps later, it was over.

Lap 30: the moment that changed the championship

Russell went over the grass at Turn 8 and stopped just after the chicane with a power unit failure. He climbed out visibly furious. In that single moment, the race, the championship, and the entire weekend took a completely different direction.

A Virtual Safety Car was deployed, giving the frontrunners the perfect window to swap from softs to mediums consolidating a straightforward one-stop strategy on what turned out to be a race where the expected rain never arrived.

Antonelli was free. Hamilton moved up to second. Verstappen to third. And the circuit that Russell loves so much became the place where the championship slipped away from him.

The second half: Hamilton vs Verstappen and Colapinto scores again

With Hamilton reporting power issues over the radio, Verstappen pounced and swept past into Turn 1 in a moment where it looked like the Dutchman would hold second to the flag. He didn’t.

On lap 62, Verstappen braked late on the outside into Turn 1 in an attempt to defend. Hamilton found a way through and took second place back. Despite Verstappen remaining half a second behind, Hamilton held on to the flag for second place — his highest-ever finish in a Ferrari. Verstappen settled for third.

Leclerc finished fourth, 32 seconds off the lead. Hadjar was fifth, absorbing two penalty stops during the race but holding his position. Colapinto took sixth his second consecutive race in the points. Lawson seventh, Gasly eighth, Sainz ninth and Bearman tenth rounded out the top 10.

The final retirement list included Pérez, Norris, Russell, Alonso, Albon, and Lindblad who never even made it to the start after being stranded on the formation lap.

The championship picture after Montreal

The victory extends Antonelli’s lead to 43 points over Russell in the drivers’ standings. Hamilton gained 18 points and moved ahead of Norris into fourth in the championship. Gasly also made progress, climbing to eighth overall.

After the race, Russell was direct: he acknowledged that the title is now Antonelli’s to lose. That, coming from a man who started the weekend with sprint pole, won the sprint race, took race pole and was leading when the engine gave out, says everything about where the championship stands heading into Monaco.

Next stop: Monaco. The tightest circuit on the calendar, where qualifying position matters more than almost anything else. After what we saw in Montreal, can Russell really put the title fight back in doubt? Or is this already a one-horse race?

FORMULA 1 LENOVO GRAND PRIX DU CANADA 2026

Do you think Antonelli has the championship wrapped up, or can Russell turn things around in Monaco? And what did you make of Hamilton’s podium with Ferrari? Let us know in the comments.

Sources: Formula1.com, PlanetF1, The Race, Motorsport.com, SI.com, RacingNews365, Bleacher Report, Pit Debrief, Scuderia Fans