George Russell's Formula 1 title hopes suffered a major blow at the Canadian Grand Prix after an electrical issue forced him to retire while battling for the lead with Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli. The 19-year-old Antonelli claimed his fourth consecutive victory, becoming the first driver ever to win his first four races, and extended his championship lead to 43 points.
The Mercedes pair exchanged the lead multiple times during a breathless opening 30 laps, and made contact a day on from colliding in Saturday's sprint. Russell, who was left furious at the side of the track, said: 'So many points ahead, it feels like the gods don’t want me to be in this fight. The pressure is off, I’ll go out and enjoy every single race, try and win every single race and I’ve got nothing to lose.'
Lewis Hamilton claimed his best result for Ferrari in second place, overcoming a battle with Max Verstappen, who secured his first podium of the season in third. Hamilton said: 'Had some cool battles, racing up front is better. Kept pushing until the line, for us to be on the podium here is very positive.'
Verstappen added: 'To finally find our sweet spot, it’s an amazing feeling to be back up here. Had a race with Max which was great. It’s definitely encouraging, a lot of teams brought upgrades here and we’ve got some other bits coming.'
