Formula 1 in Montreal

LIVE: Who will take the sprint victory in Canada?

Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell engaged in a fierce battle on the track.(Bild: AFP/RUDY CAREZZEVOLI)

George Russell secured victory in Saturday’s Montreal Sprint race. The Mercedes driver triumphed ahead of Lando Norris in the McLaren and his teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Russell engaged in a fierce duel with Antonelli that nearly resulted in a crash. 

George Russell won the thrilling Formula 1 Sprint race in Canada, prevailing in a gripping duel with his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli. The defending champion from Great Britain triumphed in Saturday’s short race in Montreal, narrowly beating world champion Lando Norris in the McLaren. Antonelli had to settle for third place after a tense battle for position with Russell. In the overall World Championship standings, the Italian now leads Russell by 18 points.

Oscar Piastri finished fourth in the second McLaren, ahead of the Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Max Verstappen could not finish higher than seventh in his Red Bull. A few hours later, qualifying (10:00 p.m.) for Sunday’s Grand Prix (10:00 p.m./both on the sportkrone.at live ticker) is on the schedule.

Near-collision between the Silver Arrows
The “Silver Arrows,” which arrived at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve with numerous upgrades, clashed on the track for the first time this season. Although Russell and Antonelli got off to a very good start—unlike in recent races—and pulled away from the competition without any problems, the teammates nearly collided on the 6th of 23 laps. Antonelli attempted an overtaking maneuver, but against Russell’s tough yet fair defense, the 19-year-old was forced to swerve onto the grass. Shortly thereafter, Antonelli went off the track again during another overtaking attempt—followed by angry radio messages.

“That was very rude,” complained Antonelli, who had lost a position to Norris during his overzealous excursion. “There has to be a penalty,” the teenager demanded, looking at his teammate. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff had to step in to calm things down. “Kimi, focus on driving and not on complaining over the radio,” the Viennese executive said. In the ensuing laps, Russell, Norris, and Antonelli completed their laps with little separation. Russell remained flawless at the front and secured his second sprint victory of the season, while behind him, another attempt by Antonelli to overtake Norris failed.