2026 F1 Canadian Grand Prix Sprint, Round 5: Russell Takes Assured Victory as Mercedes Teammates Clash

In the early hours of May 24, China Standard Time (UTC+8), the Canadian Grand Prix Sprint, part of the fifth round of the 2026 F1 season, took place at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. George Russell (Mercedes) converted pole position into victory. But that win came through a fierce battle to keep teammate Kimi Antonelli at bay, sharply raising tensions within the team.

The pair are championship rivals: Antonelli arrived in Canada on a three-race winning streak and with a 20-point lead over Russell. In Sprint Qualifying, Russell then edged Antonelli to pole by just 0.068 seconds—the tension in the Silver Arrows’ internal battle had already been evident the previous day.

At Aston Martin-Honda, Lance Stroll started from the pit lane after his car developed a suspension problem on the grid, and finished 16th. Fernando Alonso, who had reached SQ2 in Sprint Qualifying, did not finish the Sprint and ultimately retired, with 15 completed laps recorded in the official classification.

For the 23-lap Sprint, which had no mandatory pit stop, 18 of the 22 cars ran medium tyres (C4). Both Cadillacs and Stroll, starting towards the back, chose softs (C5), while ninth-place starter Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) was the only driver to opt for hard tyres (C3).

There was no rain as the Sprint got under way; the FIA weather report for the day shows the rainfall trace remaining at “Dry” across the period covering the race.

Mercedes, who had consistently struggled with starts since the beginning of the season, got both cars away superbly this time—at the timing line at the end of the opening lap, Russell led third-placed Norris by 1.712 seconds, while second-placed Antonelli was 1.174 seconds ahead of Norris. It was the first time this season that the Mercedes pair had retained first and second at the end of the opening lap.

Behind them, Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) passed Oscar Piastri (McLaren) around the outside of Turn 2 on the opening lap to move into fourth.

Antonelli began increasing the pressure on Russell around lap 5 and made his move on lap 6.

Their first clash came at Turn 1: Antonelli tried to go around the outside, but Russell left him no room, forcing him onto the grass.

Antonelli believed Russell had forced him off the track and called for his teammate to be penalised.

Further around the same lap, at the third chicane at Turns 8–9, Antonelli attacked again, but braked too late, locked up and ran well off the track. That handed second place to Lando Norris, and his complaints over the radio grew more intense.

According to F1’s official race report, Norris moved into second amid the Mercedes battle, leaving Antonelli third with Hamilton applying pressure behind.

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff instructed Antonelli over the radio to concentrate on driving rather than complaining over the radio.

After his two off-track excursions, Antonelli resumed his pursuit of Norris. The official lap-by-lap timing records show a gap of 1.736 seconds at the end of lap 10, 1.086 seconds at the end of lap 13 and 0.331 seconds at the end of lap 14.

At the timing line at the end of lap 22, as the final lap began, Antonelli was just 0.166 seconds behind Norris. He tried to pass around the outside of Turn 1 on the final lap, only to overshoot again. Russell ultimately won by 1.272 seconds over Norris, with Antonelli finishing third, a further 0.571 seconds back. After the Sprint, Antonelli said the moment had been frustrating, but that he was resetting and focusing on Qualifying.

There were also changes among the upper midfield positions. After losing fourth to Hamilton on the opening lap, Piastri reclaimed the place late in the race. Hamilton then yielded fifth to Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc and dropped to sixth.

Max Verstappen (Red Bull) held firm in seventh, while Lindblad, who had chosen hard tyres, took the chequered flag in eighth to collect the final point.

Meanwhile, eighth-place starter Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) suffered an engine problem and brought his car back into the garage for a time. Although he subsequently rejoined the track, he finished 21st, three laps down.

Qualifying was held at the same circuit in the early hours of May 24, China Standard Time (UTC+8).