Kimi Antonelli wins Canadian GP after George Russell retires from lead

Kimi Antonelli wins Canadian GP after George Russell retires from lead Last updated 24 May 2026 11:07pm BST Save Share article Log in or Subscribe Copy link X Icon twitter Facebook Icon facebook WhatsApp Icon whatsapp email Add us as preferred source Add us as preferred source Copy link X Icon twitter Facebook Icon facebook WhatsApp Icon whatsapp email George Russell now trails Kimi Antonelli by 43 points after five rounds Credit: Kym Illman/Getty Images Tom Cary Senior Sports Correspondent. Luke Slater live updates Last updated 24 May 2026 11:07pm BST Save Share article Log in or Subscribe Copy link X Icon twitter Facebook Icon facebook WhatsApp Icon whatsapp email Add us as preferred source Add us as preferred source Copy link X Icon twitter Facebook Icon facebook WhatsApp Icon whatsapp email George Russell’s agonising mid-race retirement allowed Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli to win his fourth grand prix in succession and claim a 43-point lead in the drivers’ championship.  Just as they had the day before in the sprint race, Russell and Antonelli were engaged in a thrilling battle for the lead when Russell’s power unit gave out on lap 29. RUSSELL OUT ❌ Heading onboard as George Russell gets out of his stricken Mercedes ⬇️#F1 #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/cKzyCh0hgA — Formula 1 (@F1) May 24, 2026 They duo had already overtaken each other a handful of times by that point, going wheel-to-wheel lap after lap, and had both been warned by their race engineers to keep things clean. With Antonelli cruising to victory at the front, the main interest was in who would take the two remaining podium spots. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton eventually claimed second place after hunting down Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and passing the Dutch driver with a brilliant move at the start of lap 62. McLaren had a miserable race, choosing to start on intermediate tyres in light drizzle, then immediately regretting that decision and stopping to switch. Lando Norris was eventually forced to retire with a gearbox issue, while Oscar Piastri finished out of the points in 11th. More to follow… Latest updates Tom Cary Senior Sports Correspondent. Luke Slater live updates 11:07PM The next race... Link copied to clipboard Is the Monaco Grand Prix in two weeks’ time. Here are the session timings for that. Thanks for joining us this weekend.  Friday, June 5| FP1 – 12.30pm BST FP2 – 4pm Saturday, June 6 FP3 – 11.30am Qualifying – 3pm Sunday, June 7 Race – 2pm 11:02PM Hamilton looked up for it this weekend Link copied to clipboard He likes this track and Leclerc has not gone well here traditionally. But you still must deliver, and deliver he did. Second is the maximum he could have achieved and he secured that.  Credit: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images 10:55PM Updated constructor standings Link copied to clipboard Ferrari put some clear ground between themselves and McLaren, who had a dreadful weekend.  10:54PM Updated driver standings Link copied to clipboard You would rather be 43 points ahead than 43 points behind but there is such a long way to go. The positives for Russell are, as he says, that he took pole for both races, won the sprint and then was leading when he retired.  10:41PM ⏱️Canadian GP - Classification Link copied to clipboard ANT 25ptsHAM 18ptsVER 15ptsLEC 12ptsHAD 10ptsCOL 8ptsLAW 6ptsGAS 4ptsSAI 2ptsBEA 1pt 10:39PM 🏁KIMI ANTONELLI WINS THE 2026 CANADIAN GRAND PRIX! Link copied to clipboard Lucky? Yes. But he did what he needed to do and was perhaps the faster Mercedes driver today.  Hamilton holds off Verstappen for second place. Nice work.  10:38PM FINAL LAP Link copied to clipboard Can Hamilton hold off Verstappen? Some backmarkers are in the way... Antonelli just has a few corners to go before registering his fourth F1 victory and fourth in a row... 10:38PM Lap 67 of 68 - Verstappen closer than before Link copied to clipboard He almost has a look around the outside of turn one but thinks better of it. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a move before the end of the race.  Out the front, Antonelli is going to get himself a 43-point advantage over team-mate George Russell.  10:36PM Lap 66 of 68 - Antonelli leads Hamilton by 10.0sec Link copied to clipboard Verstappen has not yet had a proper look at Hamilton for second, but may be biding his time. Not much of it left, though.  10:35PM Lap 65 of 68 - Bearman looks safe for a point Link copied to clipboard He is in 10th and the closest challenger is Hulkenberg, 26sec behind. A bad day for Bottas. A penalty and he has now been lapped four times... 10:35PM Lap 64 of 68 - Antonelli leads Hamilton by 9.8sec Link copied to clipboard Nobody is challenging the Mercedes car for the win. Well, his team-mate did before he retired... but Hamilton and Verstappen have no chance.  10:34PM Lap 64 of 68 - Verstappen harrying Hamilton still Link copied to clipboard He’s not giving up.  10:32PM Lap 63 of 68 - Verstappen coming back at Hamilton Link copied to clipboard Let’s see if he tries a move with the help of the extra boost from the battery.  ❗Hadjar has a stop and go penalty. Not quite sure what for but he serves it and comes out in fifth, still ahead of Colapinto.  10:31PM Lap 62 of 68 - Hamilton into second! Link copied to clipboard We have momentary yellow flags for Hulkenberg at turn one but a few seconds later Hamilton goes around the outside of Verstappen at the same spot to move into second! LEWIS INTO P2! 😮‍💨💨#F1 #CanadianGP | LAP 62/68 pic.twitter.com/zaQevukx7l — Formula 1 (@F1) May 24, 2026 Hulkenberg lost the rear and spun but did get going again. Verstappen didn’t fight the move too much but a nice overtake nonetheless. 10:30PM Lap 61 of 68 - Top 10 and gaps Link copied to clipboard ANTVER +9.6HAM +10.2LEC +31.0HAD +44.1COL +1lapLAW +1lapGAS +1lapSAI +1lapBEA +1lap 10:29PM Lap 60 of 68 - Hamilton says he needs more power Link copied to clipboard He is either struggling to get past Verstappen or biding his time.  10:29PM Lap 59 of 68 - Hadjar on for a strong finish Link copied to clipboard Despite his deserved penalty. Should be fifth. That is something more like it from the second Red Bull driver.  10:27PM Lap 58 of 68 - Antonelli leads Verstappen by 8.8sec Link copied to clipboard We haven’t seen him on our screens for a while and I am not surprised. He is massively faster than those chasing him.  10:26PM Lap 57 of 68 - HAM vs VER is upon us Link copied to clipboard What defence does the Dutchman have? The hunt is on! 👀 Hamilton is pushing to close the gap to Verstappen for P2 😮‍💨#F1 #CanadianGP | LAP 56/68 pic.twitter.com/XodPpcX1nm — Formula 1 (@F1) May 24, 2026 He should be on for a rare podium in 2026 today but will it be second or third? 10:24PM Lap 56 of 68 - Piastri down in 13th Link copied to clipboard What chance that he might sneak a point for McLaren? Quite slim, he is well adrift of Bearman in 10th. More than 30 seconds, in fact.  10:23PM Lap 55 of 68 - Hamilton nearly within 1sec of Verstappen Link copied to clipboard Verstappen will resist as much as he can but I am not sure he will have too much power to stop the charging red car behind him.  10:21PM Lap 54 of 68 - Antonelli leads Verstappen by 6.9sec Link copied to clipboard Leclerc lost the rear end at the final chicane, presumably before the VSC, but not entirely sure when it happened. He kept it out of the wall. Direction of this race has been pretty poor with plenty of incidents missed.  10:20PM Lap 53 of 68 - Piastri and Hadjar pit Link copied to clipboard They both serve 10-second penalties and come out onto new tyres.  10:19PM Lap 52 of 68 - 🟨 Another VSC Link copied to clipboard Not sure why... more debris? Possibly.  10:18PM Lap 51 of 68 - Top 10 and gaps Link copied to clipboard ANTVER +6.4HAM +8.5LEC +19.9HAD +20.6COL +67.1LAW +1lapGAS +1lapSAI +1lapBEA +1lapAntonelli extends his lead with the fastest lap of the race. Verstappen is now half a second slower per lap than Hamilton.  10:16PM Lap 50 of 68 - Hamilton strong Link copied to clipboard One of his strongest weekends in a Ferrari car. He has comfortably been faster than Leclerc all weekend. That has not happened very often.  Credit: Christinne Muschi/AP 10:14PM Lap 49 of 68 - Russell speaks after his DNF Link copied to clipboard “Everything turned off all of a sudden... engine stopped, no electronics, no proper brakes. A bit lost for words right now. I am proud of my weekend. Pole in the sprint, won the sprint, pole in the qualifying. I was leading when I stopped after a good battle with Kimi. I don’t think on my side I could have done anything more.” He says, at least, he loved his battle with Antonelli. Shame we couldn’t see that continue. A bigger shame that Russell is going to walk away pointless from today.  10:13PM Lap 48 of 68 - Hamilton 2.8sec behind Verstappen Link copied to clipboard He has a decent chance of second here today.  10:11PM Lap 47 of 68 - Antonelli leads Verstappen by 4.2sec Link copied to clipboard That gap has come down a little but he is lapping backmarkers, which may explain it.  10:10PM Lap 46 of 68 - VSC Link copied to clipboard The pit-lane entry is closed. Likely because of some debris from Perez’s car on the pit-entry. Anyway, that appears to be cleared by a marshal who is fleet of foot.  10:10PM Lap 45 of 68 - Antonelli leads Verstappen by 5.8sec Link copied to clipboard This will be a major result for Red Bull. I think some significant set-up changes post the sprint race for him and he has made it work, albeit with the help of some calamity ahead of him.  10:09PM Lap 44 of 68 - Hadjar now being investigated Link copied to clipboard That is for moving twice. He receives a 10-second time penalty. The problem is that is quite pointless at the moment because he is 41 seconds ahead of the man behind him. It’s another one that I believe should be a time penalty or a positional penalty, depending on the effect. Say 10 seconds or two places, whichever is greater. Or five seconds or one position, whichever is greater.  10:07PM Lap 43 of 68 - Antonelli with the fastest lap Link copied to clipboard He extends his lead to 5.4sec over Verstappen.  10:06PM Lap 42 of 68 - A fine race for Colapinto Link copied to clipboard Well adrift of the top five but sixth is as much as he could possibly hope for.  ‼️Perez pulls into the pits to retire with a front-right suspension that is stoved in. He was having a good weekend up to that point. Attritional. It fractured as he went into the pits but he may well have struck the wall earlier in the lap.  10:05PM Lap 41 of 68 - Antonelli leads Verstappen by 4.7sec Link copied to clipboard The Mercedes driver losing some time lapping backmarkers and he lets his frustration show on the radio. Just needs to get the car home from here.  Credit: Geoff Robins/Getty Images 10:03PM Lap 40 of 68 - Leclerc does finally find a way past Link copied to clipboard He is up into fourth now. Ferrari having a good weekend relative to McLaren. Mind you, Williams are having a good weekend relative to McLaren at the moment. Speaking of which... ‼️Lando Norris retires from eighth at the end of the chicane. “Something’s broken, I don’t know what. Gearbox or something.” A truly miserable afternoon. Norris OUT ❌ The McLaren stops in the run-off area at Turn 10 #F1 #CanadianGP | LAP 40/68 pic.twitter.com/KP7hEyP7wJ — Formula 1 (@F1) May 24, 2026 10:01PM Lap 39 of 68 - Hadjar noted by the stewards Link copied to clipboard ⁉️More than one change of direction in the earlier battle with Leclerc. Still the Ferrari tries to find a way past.  10:00PM Lap 38 of 68 - Top 10 and gaps Link copied to clipboard ANTVER +6.4HAM +11.9HAD +17.6LEC +18.2COL +53.4LAW +64.5NOR +66.0GAS +67.2SAI +1lap 9:59PM Lap 37 of 68 - Hamilton the fastest man on track Link copied to clipboard Kind of in a race of his own, though.  9:58PM Lap 36 of 68 - Antonelli leads Verstappen by 6.1ec Link copied to clipboard Annoyingly, that VSC has robbed the top five of any strategic variation. Oh well.  9:57PM Lap 35 of 68 - Leclerc nearly crashes into Hadjar Link copied to clipboard On the back straight in the battle for fifth, Hadjar moves across but Leclerc avoids contact. “That was nearly a huge one, he says,”. Think that one will need to be looked at. WOAHH! 👀 A close moment between Leclerc and Hadjar there! 🤯#F1 #CanadianGP | LAP 35/68 pic.twitter.com/DfggKLVrZx — Formula 1 (@F1) May 24, 2026 9:55PM Lap 34 of 68 - We are racing again Link copied to clipboard A picture speaks a thousand words.  HEARTBREAK FOR GEORGE! 😢💔#F1 #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/vbnkl34w4X — Formula 1 (@F1) May 24, 2026 Let’s see if anyone can challenge Antonelli. I am going to say a big fat “no”.  9:54PM Lap 33 of 68 - Power unit failure for Russell Link copied to clipboard As it stands he would be trailing Antonelli by 43 points. I am not sure any other car has the pace to challenge Antonelli for the victory today. Verstappen is 4.6sec behind him with Hamilton a further 7.7sec behind... 9:53PM Lap 32 of 68 - Top 10 under VSC Link copied to clipboard ANTVERHAMHADLECCOLLAWGASNORSAI 9:52PM Lap 31 of 68 - A few pit stoppers under the VSC Link copied to clipboard Quite a few, in fact.  9:50PM Lap 30 of 68 - ‼️RUSSELL IS OUT! Link copied to clipboard He runs over the grass and it initially looks like a driver error but he then pulls to the side of the track immediately after. He is, understandably, furious. He gets out of the car and once he is beyond the barriers he throws his gloves to the ground. That is a hammer blow. A long way to go in this championship but this is a dent to his hopes. ⚠️ VIRTUAL SAFETY CAR ⚠️ George Russell stops on track and is OUT of the race 😱 His Mercedes needs to recovered #F1 #CanadianGP | LAP 31/68 pic.twitter.com/7cV0ChhFmb — Formula 1 (@F1) May 24, 2026 🟨We have a Virtual Safety Car... 9:48PM Lap 29 of 68 - Backmarker update Link copied to clipboard Alonso, Albon and Lindblad are no longer in this race. Bottas is the last car on the road in 19th then it’s Stroll, Perez, Ocon, Bortoleto, Hulkenberg and Piastri in 13th.  9:47PM Lap 28 of 68 - Russell still under pressure Link copied to clipboard There has not been anything dirty or controversial out the front. Not really, anyway. Not yet.. Credit: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images 9:45PM Lap 27 of 68 - Russell leads Antonelli by 0.5sec Link copied to clipboard Both drivers being spoken to to tone down the feistiness of this racing. It’s brilliant, though. Antonelli looks the faster man.  9:44PM Lap 26 of 68 - A calmer lap Link copied to clipboard Here’s the top 10: RUSANTVERHAMLECHADCOLLAWGASBEASainz in 11th, Norris in 12th and Piastri in 13th.  9:43PM Lap 25 of 68 - The battle continues... Link copied to clipboard Antonelli and Russell go again but this time Antonelli is not as far alongside heading into the final chicane and Russell keeps the lead. What a great batlte this is. Verstappen six seconds behind and not making much ground despite this squabble for the lead.  9:42PM Lap 24 of 68 - Russell retakes the lead! Link copied to clipboard More drama between the Mercedes pair. Antonelli goes deep into the hairpin and Russell goes back into the lead... but Antonelli comes back at him into the chicane. They nearly collide, Antonelli goes over the chicane and keeps the lead, albeit illegally. SIDE-BY-SIDE AGAIN! 😱 Antonelli goes straight over the final chicane and is quickly told to give the place back to his team mate, and does so later in the lap#F1 #CanadianGP | LAP 24/68 pic.twitter.com/lZR0SM7Np1 — Formula 1 (@F1) May 24, 2026 He is told to give the position back but claims Russell pushed him off, but he does give the place back... 9:41PM Lap 23 of 68 - Can Antonelli increase his lead? Link copied to clipboard That will be his aim, to get more than one second ahead of Russell to deny the Briton the overtake mode.  ❗Piastri, meanwhile, has a 10-second penalty for causing a collision. More misery for McLaren.  9:39PM Lap 22 of 68 - Antonelli looks around the outside of T1 Link copied to clipboard He doesn’t have the pace to make it stick, though.  Antonelli comes back later in the lap.. and this time makes it stick in the run down to the final chicane. He’s back in the lead! 9:37PM Lap 21 of 68 - McLaren update Link copied to clipboard They started third and fourth on intermediate tyres and are now 13th and 15th for Piastri and Norris, who is about to be lapped... 9:36PM Lap 20 of 68 - Top 10 and gaps Link copied to clipboard RUSANT +0.5VER +6.3HAM +6.9LEC +14.5HAD +15.5COL +36.8LAW +42.7GAS +51.0BEA +52.8 9:35PM Lap 19 of 68 - Russell leads Antonelli by 0.5sec Link copied to clipboard Antonelli is not going away and looks the faster driver at the moment. Bernie Collins on Sky points out that might be because of the cool conditions. Being behind in dirty air means you have warmer tyres, which is usually bad, but perhaps not today.  9:34PM Lap 18 of 68 - Hamilton harrying Verstappen Link copied to clipboard Russell under immense pressure from behind, though. They are approaching some of the backmarkers, which could provide and opportunities.  9:33PM Lap 17 of 68 - Russell goes deep into the hairpin Link copied to clipboard He has to do everything to keep Antonelli behind him in the final chicane... and manages it. Has to brake very late. The gap to Verstappen is five seconds now.  9:32PM Lap 16 of 68 - Bad news for Norris Link copied to clipboard He is told to pit for reliability issues. A promising race for McLaren is turning into a terrible one. Work to do for either of them to get points... Credit: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images 9:30PM Lap 15 of 78 - Top 10 Link copied to clipboard RUSANTVERHAMLECHADCOLLAWNORGASDebris on track from the incident. Antonelli is harrying Russell here, providing no let-up in the pressure in the battle for the lead.  9:29PM Lap 14 of 68 - It will surely be a penalty for Piastri Link copied to clipboard Piastri was trying to overtake Bearman at the final hairpin and then he locked up and ploughed into Albon who was ahead of Bearman, smashing in his sidepod and sending him out of the race... 9:28PM Lap 13 of 68 - Antonelli comes back at Russell... Link copied to clipboard Russell just about keeps the lead as we have yellow flags. Not sure why.  🟨Alexander Albon has stopped on track... Piastri stops again for a new front wing. Did he clash with Albon? Piastri almost a lap down now... all stemming from an unfathomable decision to start on the intermediate tyres.  9:26PM Lap 12 of 68 - Norris into the points now Link copied to clipboard A lot of ground and time to make up for after a poor tyre choice to start on the intermediates. He then gets Gasly for ninth. Can he contend for the victory? Can he go to the end on these tyres? He is 36sec behind the new leader Antonelli, who then loses the lead again to Russell about two corners later... yo-yoing or what? THE BATTLE IS ON AGAIN! 😲😲 Antonelli is into the lead, but Russell gets it back before Kimi goes back down the inside at Turn 1 👀 George retains his lead so far... #F1 #CanadianGP | LAP 13/68 pic.twitter.com/33jhLssYjP — Formula 1 (@F1) May 24, 2026 9:24PM Lap 11 of 68 - Top 10 and gaps Link copied to clipboard RUSANT +1.1VER +4.8HAM +6.0LEC +7.4HAD +9.9COL +23.7LAW +26.1BEA +33.1GAS +33.9 9:24PM Lap 10 of 68 - Lindblad has not started the race Link copied to clipboard That is a shame. Russell with the fastest lap of the race so far, just over a second ahead of Antonelli now.  9:22PM Lap 9 of 68 - Verstappen up into third Link copied to clipboard He shows good pace and gets Hamilton for third place. Hamilton then complains of a lack of power... Antonelli just about maintaining a one-second gap to the leader.  9:21PM Lap 8 of 68 - Norris up to 11th now Link copied to clipboard Albon and Alonso dispatched.  9:21PM Lap 7 of 68 - Russell leads Antonelli by 0.9sec Link copied to clipboard Needs to try to keep up the fight. Norris on the charge... 9:20PM Lap 6 of 68 - Russell takes the lead! Link copied to clipboard A big mistake from Antonelli into the final chicane, a massive lock-up and he goes straight on but holds off second from Hamilton behind. Russell pulled ahead before the braking zone and then Antonelli locked up when he was behind Russell. He will be vulnerable to being overtaken now with a flat-spotted front tyre. RUSSELL INTO THE LEAD... BUT THINGS GET CLOSE! 🔀 Antonelli locks up straight away and he goes straight on at the final chicane 😳💨#F1 #CanadianGP | LAP 7/68 pic.twitter.com/BWCCMaYQgE — Formula 1 (@F1) May 24, 2026 9:18PM Lap 5 of 68 - Norris told this stint could be long Link copied to clipboard He could theoretically get to the end on these tyres. Theoretically, I repeat.  9:17PM Lap 4 of 68 - He misses the chicane... Link copied to clipboard ...and then narrowly misses the wall. Lives to fight another day, though.  Antonelli leads Russell by 0.7sec with Hamilton a further 0.8sec behind Russell and Verstappen 0.6sec behind the lead Ferrari.  9:14PM Lap 3 of 68 - Antonelli leads Russell Link copied to clipboard Hamilton in third and Verstappen not too far behind. Antonelli had a deployment issue coming out of the final corner and he nearly loses the lead at turn one, but hangs on.  Norris back out in 14th, Piastri in 17th after his stop. Botih McLarens now in the medium tyres.  9:13PM Lap 2 of 68 - Norris leads Antonelli by one second Link copied to clipboard Here is the top 10: NORANTRUSHAMVERLECHADCOLLAWHULAntonelli with the better start of the two Mercedes, so he has gained a place on his team-mate. Norris is going to come into the pit lane... ⬆️ Antonelli ⬇️ Norris Kimi is into the lead as Lando pits, but George Russell is right on the back of this team mate! 😱#F1 #CanadianGP | LAP 2/68 pic.twitter.com/F2nodDToe2 — Formula 1 (@F1) May 24, 2026 9:12PM THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX IS GO! Link copied to clipboard They are away this time. Piastri was worried about his intermediate tyres but Norris has no worries and goes from third to first by the braking zone for the first corner... Piastri has a worse start and drops into fifth, though with Hamilton up into fourth.  The soft tyres will have been cold but they will start coming to life. Piastri under threat from Verstappen now. Does the Red Bull go down the inside at the chicane? No. But Piastri does dive into the pits.  Will Norris come under pressure soon? 9:10PM McLaren again decide to stay on the intermediate tyres Link copied to clipboard Strange. Lindblad is wheeled back into his garage so may not start the race. Or may start several laps down... disappointing on a strong weekend from him.  Right, let’s get this race going... 9:08PM Yes, it is another formation lap... Link copied to clipboard I don’t think Lindblad was out of the way in time. He will start from the pit lane at best now. This means we are losing two laps from the race distance.  9:07PM Piastri thinks he is done on intermediates Link copied to clipboard He just wants to come in for slick tyres because he believes intermediates are the wrong tyre. Lindblad is wheeled backwards off the pit-lane entry but will that be done in time? Or will they need another formation lap? Piastri stays out in the intermediates despite being told the rain is easing.  9:05PM 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX IS GO! OR IS IT...? Link copied to clipboard NO IT ISN’T! What has happened here? We have an extra formation lap.  The five lights stay on for a long time... Antonelli creeps forward and it looks like we have an aborted start. Lindblad is stuck on the grid, but was that the cause? 9:03PM The formation lap is under way Link copied to clipboard This could be a very interesting opening lap. Piastri says he feels like he is floating around on the intermediate tyres already. If that is the case then they could go backwards very quickly... 9:00PM Starting tyre types Link copied to clipboard Fair to say that it is interesting... Soft slicks for the two Mercedes but then the two McLarens right behind them are on intermediates. Hulkenberg, Perez, Bottas and Bortoleto also on intermediates. A few on mediums, too, but most on the soft tyres.  8:56PM A dry race? Link copied to clipboard If you are just joining us it is best to describe the conditions as damp with occasional drizzle. Not particularly warm in the air or on track, either. All of the drivers think the track is slippery.  8:52PM Canadian GP: Starting grid Link copied to clipboard 1. RUS 2. ANT 3. NOR 4. PIA 5. HAM 6. VER 7. HAD 8. LEC 9. LIN 10. COL 11. HUL 12. LAW 13. BOR 14. GAS  15. SAI 16. BEA 17. OCO 18. ALB 19. ALO 20. PER 21. BOT PIT LANE: STR 8:44PM The drizzle appears to have stopped Link copied to clipboard ⬆️ to ⬇️ A potentially promising sign as the gazebos come down on the grid 😮‍💨☔️#F1 #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/i0sLIVERRV — Formula 1 (@F1) May 24, 2026 Sergio Perez says it is a tough choice between intermediate tyres and slicks and that the back of the circuit is wetter than the grid and the start of the lap. Franco Colapinto, who is having a good weekend says “Slippery, very slippery”. Norris says “It’s gonna be slidey”.  8:39PM Raw pace rating Link copied to clipboard This is how fast each team has been in qualifying, relative to the overall fastest lap. After yesterday, McLaren have bumped Ferrari down into second. They are both narrowing the gap to Mercedes, though the Silver Arrows do still the advantage.  For reference, 0.5 per cent is half a second over a 1min40sec lap or 0.375sec over a 1min15sec lap. In other words, significant but not enormous.  8:33PM Lock-ups a plenty on the recon laps Link copied to clipboard It might not be wet enough for intermediates (though the rain has intensified), but that does not mean there is much grip out there. The opening few laps could be fun.    8:28PM Qualifying head-to-heads so far Link copied to clipboard Some interesting and surprising result so far. Hamilton’s struggles at Ferrari last year were largely in qualifying. This year he has improved significantly. No real surprise to see Alonso nilling Stroll, though... 8:22PM 🟢The pit lane is open! Link copied to clipboard Russell is onto the intermediates but I doubt that will be the starting tyre. The “rain” has intensified but the track does not look anywhere near wet enough for anything but slicks. Verstappen does the same but then radios to his team to request a switch to slicks.  8:17PM Current constructor standings Link copied to clipboard McLaren coming back at Mercedes, but a lot of ground to make up.  8:08PM A few strategy options out there today Link copied to clipboard Hard/medium, medium/hard and soft/hard could all work according to Pirelli. A fair chance of a safety car too, so perhaps there will be those who start on the hard tyres hoping that will increase their hopes of a single pit stop being done cheaply. This race isn’t the guaranteed thriller it once was but it still produces action.  8:01PM Current driver standings Link copied to clipboard Russell took two points from Antonelli’s lead yesterday and if he wins today that is at least another seven, reducing the gap to 11. Numbers are particularly important at this stage (as long as they are not too large) but the direction of travel and trends are important. Russell can stop the rot.  7:56PM What’s the weather doing? Link copied to clipboard A lot of talk about rain but it does not appear that anything significant will fall today. A few spits and spots about but it looks to be largely dry in Montreal. Not intermediate weather, in other words. That’s not to say it’s very warm... that will play a factor. To favour which team? Nico Hulkenberg wraps up Credit: Alastair Staley/LAT Images 7:47PM Canadian GP: Qualifying classification Link copied to clipboard 7:25PM Good evening Link copied to clipboard Welcome to our live coverage for the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix from the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. It has been a stop/start season so far, but the season really kicks into gear from here on. What once looked like a Mercedes walkover looks less likely. Whilst they still maintain the advantage over a fairly close McLaren and Ferrari, they are having to work for their victories and pole positions.  That was demonstrated yesterday in both the sprint race and qualifying for today’s race. George Russell emerged on top in both of them, narrowly from Lando Norris in the sprint and then from his Mercedes team-mate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli.  Russell took two points out of Antonelli’s lead on Saturday’s sprint to reduce the Italian’s advantage to 18 points and he will be hoping to dent that again today and to end Antonelli’s run of victories, which currently stands at three.  Credit: Sutton Images/Sam Bagnall Perhaps more significant than beating him in a straight fight in the sprint was the robust (but fair) way he defended the lead from Antonelli, who ended up finishing third in the final reckoning. Antonelli was not happy, said as much on the radio repeatedly before being publicly told to stop moaning about it by his race engineer first and then by team principal Toto Wolff. \ It is unlikely there will be any lasting bad blood in this race, but you never know. I doubt it will be the last time the pair clash and have a disagreement. In any case, it is a good thing for the neutral that Russell has stiff competition. Long may it continue, hopefully in the form of Mercedes being challenged by McLaren and Ferrari. Anyway the race starts at 9pm BST and we will be here for all of the build-up, live updates and reactions from what could be another intriguing race.