George Russell didn't just win a race in Montreal. He basically reclaimed his seat at the table.
For months, the narrative around Mercedes had been a mix of "when will they catch up?" and "can Russell actually lead this team?" On a sun-drenched Sunday at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, he answered both. The f1 canadian grand prix results show a Mercedes 1-3, but the timing screens only tell half the story of a weekend that shifted the entire momentum of the 2025 season.
Honestly, it was a weird one. Usually, Montreal gives us chaos via rain or the "Wall of Champions" eating a front-runner. This time, the drama was purely internal. While Russell was clinical at the front, the McLaren garage was essentially a crime scene by Lap 67.
The Breakthrough: How George Russell Controlled the Chaos
George took pole by a hair—just 0.025 seconds over Max Verstappen. In 2024, that might have meant a P2 or P3 by the first pit stop. But the W16 is a different animal. Mercedes brought a floor update that finally stabilized the rear end, and Russell drove it like he actually trusted the car for the first time in years.
He nailed the start. Verstappen hovered, as he always does, waiting for a mistake that never came. Even when the pit window opened on Lap 13 and George had to fight through traffic, he looked calm. He made a move on Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari on Lap 27 that was, frankly, ballsy. It was the kind of overtake that says, "I'm not playing for points; I'm playing for the trophy."
By the time the final safety car came out, the gap was tight—only about 0.228 seconds separated him from Max at the line. But those are the f1 canadian grand prix results that matter. A win is a win, especially when you're holding off a three-time world champion.
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Kimi Antonelli’s Historic Podium
While everyone was watching the leaders, Kimi Antonelli was quietly making history. At 18 years and 294 days old, the kid became the third-youngest driver to ever stand on an F1 podium.
Think about that for a second. Most kids that age are struggling with parallel parking, and he was holding off Oscar Piastri in one of the most technical sectors on the calendar. He jumped Piastri into Turn 3 on the opening lap and never really looked back. It’s the first time we’ve seen two Mercedes on the podium since the pre-ground-effect era. If there were any doubts about who takes Lewis Hamilton’s seat next year, Kimi just silenced them.
The McLaren Meltdown: What Really Happened on Lap 67
If you want to know why Lando Norris looks so frustrated in the post-race interviews, you have to look at the telemetry. Lando was on a charge. He started P7 on hards, went long, and switched to mediums. He was the fastest car on track for a good twenty laps.
Then he caught his teammate.
The "papaya rules" were supposed to prevent exactly what happened. Norris lunged at the hairpin on Lap 66. Piastri defended. Fair enough. But as they crossed the line to start Lap 67, Norris clipped the back of Piastri's car. It wasn't a huge hit, but at 190 mph, it doesn't take much.
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- Lando Norris: DNF (Classified 18th).
- Oscar Piastri: P4 (Damage limited).
- The Vibe: Awkward.
Lando apologized, which is great, but Andrea Stella looked like he wanted to hide in the motorhome. That collision handed Verstappen P2 on a silver platter and cost McLaren a massive chunk of points in the constructors' championship. It’s the first real crack we’ve seen in the Norris-Piastri relationship, and it couldn't have happened at a worse time.
Why These Results Change the 2025 Championship Narrative
Before Montreal, it felt like a two-horse race between Red Bull and McLaren. Now? Mercedes is very much in the mix.
Lewis Hamilton had a rougher day, finishing P6 after an unfortunate encounter with a groundhog on Lap 12. Apparently, the impact took out a chunk of his floor, costing him about 20 points of downforce. Even so, he stayed in the points, which tells you how much better this Mercedes chassis is compared to the "diva" cars of the last two years.
The Midfield Scraps You Missed
Nico Hulkenberg is basically the king of the "best of the rest" right now. He brought that Kick Sauber home in P8, which is a massive result for a team that has struggled to find the points all year. Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso dragged an uncooperative Aston Martin to P7.
- George Russell (Mercedes) - 1:31:52.688
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - +0.228s
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - +1.014s
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - +2.109s
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - +3.442s
It’s worth noting that Ferrari struggled with tyre graining all afternoon. Leclerc was never really in the hunt for the win, which is a bit of a reality check after their recent form. They were lucky to get P5 and P6, honestly.
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Looking Ahead: What to Watch for in Austria
The f1 canadian grand prix results have set up a powder keg for the next round. McLaren has to fix their internal politics before they arrive at the Red Bull Ring. If they don't, Verstappen is going to walk away with this championship while the papaya cars are busy taking each other out.
Mercedes, on the other hand, finally has "proof of concept." They aren't just fast in qualifying anymore; they have the race pace to match Red Bull over a full 70-lap stint.
If you're following the championship, keep an eye on the gap between Russell and Verstappen. George is now just 19 points behind Max for P3 in the standings. That’s a gap that could disappear in a single weekend if the W16 continues this upward trajectory.
For fans, the move is to watch the onboard replays of the Lap 67 collision. It reveals a lot about the current power dynamic at McLaren. While Norris is the veteran, Piastri isn't giving an inch, and that friction is going to be the defining story of the European leg of the season.
Check the tyre degradation stats from Montreal specifically—the teams that managed the mediums best (Mercedes and Red Bull) are likely to dominate the high-speed corners in Spielberg. If Ferrari doesn't find a fix for their front-end graining, they might be looking at another long afternoon in the Austrian hills.