Kimi Antonelli took full advantage on Sunday of teammate George Russell’s retirement during the Canadian GP. After a thrilling battle for first place, the Brit’s Mercedes gave up, allowing the young Italian to drive unchallenged to his fourth consecutive victory. The international media savored – despite the absence of the promised rain – the spectacle in Montreal. An overview of the reactions.
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“A phenomenal Kimi Antonelli completes the quartet,” La Gazzetta dello Sport refers to the victories of the 19-year-old championship leader in China, Japan, Miami, and Canada. “And what a quartet. The Mercedes driver from Bologna has won the Canadian Grand Prix and secured his fourth consecutive victory. No other driver has ever achieved that,” emphasized the editor on duty. “Senna and Michael Schumacher were stuck at three.” Not a bad statistic.
Run of bad luck
“Antonelli has also solved his problem with starts, as he immediately outpaced his teammate from the line,” noted the pink sports newspaper. “After that, Russell lacked the speed to escape the Italian’s grip. He managed to overtake him after a few laps, but Kimi did not lose sight of him and increased the pressure significantly. That led to nerve-wracking moments. Ultimately, Antonelli finished on the podium, flanked by Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, second and third, who together hold eleven world titles and have dominated the sport in recent years. Now they were relegated to the lower steps of the podium.”
In England, they are now certain: the title fight has truly erupted in Canada. “Possibly the battle for the world championship has already taken a decisive turn here,” says the BBC report. “George Russell’s confidence has certainly taken a big hit.” Afterwards, the Brit declared that the Formula 1 gods are not on his side. “Two technical problems during qualifying in Shanghai prevented him from fighting for pole position,” the British outlet explained. “Antonelli took that and achieved his first victory. In Japan, the safety car came out after Russell had made his pit stop, but before Antonelli had made his, which handed the lead to the Italian and left Russell frustrated in fourth. And now this.”
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McLaren blunders
McLaren also had a disappointing day in Canada, partly due to a wrong gamble on intermediates at the start of the race. “The team made the seemingly inexplicable decision to start on wet tires on a dry track,” the BBC wrote critically. Our German neighbors also chimed in. “One team has gambled away all its chances,” headlines BILD. “Last season McLaren dominated Formula 1, but 2026 has proven to be a disastrous year. The Canadian GP was once again a complete failure.”
The papayas received a one on their report card from the French press. “In the end, there was no rain, to the great disappointment of especially the McLaren drivers,” writes L’Équipe. “But there was spectacle – at least in the first half of the race – thanks to the two Mercedes drivers. Toto Wolff’s heart was probably in his throat, one day after he had already addressed his drivers about their behavior during the sprint race.”
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Read more Race Special GP Canada (45 pages): Max back on the podium!
