The Writer’s Verdict: 2026 Canadian Grand Prix

26th May 2026 0 By ApexMotorsports.co.uk

Mercedes Kimi Antonelli extended his championship lead out in front, in the Formula 1 drivers standings, after securing his fourth consecutive race win. Here are our Writer’s verdicts for the Canadian Grand Prix.

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Millie Clark – Contributor

The 2026 Canadian Grand Prix did not disappoint. It reminded us of exactly how cutthroat Formula 1 can be. While George Russell looked to turn his championship fight to Kimi Antonelli around, an unfortunate power unit issue signalled an early retirement for the British driver. With no points on the board, Russell now trails behind Antonelli by 43 points.

Now, down at McLaren, it must be addressed: how did this championship-winning team get its strategy so wrong?

A simple mistake to start both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri on the intermediate tyres ultimately ruined their race before it had even begun. Piastri finished just shy of the points in eleventh place, respectively, despite receiving a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision with Alex Albon, and for Norris, it was also a race retirement due to reliability issues.

While it was a day to forget for McLaren, it was a perfect day for Franco Colapinto, who seemed to have finally found his rhythm with Alpine. Despite having slight contact with the wall while coming out of the pit lane, nothing was stopping the young Argentinian from scoring his highest Grand Prix finish so far in sixth place. After clinching points on two consecutive races this season, can we expect to see more top 10 appearances from Colapinto and Alpine?

In a race defined by misfortune for some and breakthrough for others, the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix put on an unexpected yet thrilling show.

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Joe Briley – Contributor

Don’t write off George Russell in the championship just yet. His retirement from the lead was a huge blow and leaves him with a lot of ground to make up, but his pace all weekend in Canada was back to his best. Mercedes looked really quick and Russell could well have won the race before the failure on lap 30.

If that performance level carries into the next few rounds, the title fight may not be as one-sided as the points gap suggests. Kimi Antonelli deserves a lot of credit though, his drive throughout the race and particularly once Russell retired was controlled and taking a 43-point gap into Monaco is huge.

Away from the front, Alpine quietly had one of their best weekends of the season with Franco Colapinto taking P6 and Pierre Gasly adding more points in P8. Williams also leaves Canada with positives after Carlos Sainz continued to chip away with more points, although Alex Albon probably had the unluckiest weekend of anyone on the grid.

Hitting a groundhog in FP1 effectively compromised half of his weekend in a Sprint format, forcing him out of Sprint Qualifying, and then his race ended after contact with Oscar Piastri despite making up a number of places at the start and doing little wrong.

Liam Lawson also deserves credit for what was an excellent drive to P7. It was controlled, mature and the tyre management stood out throughout the race. McLaren’s decision-making left plenty of questions, too. Starting both cars on intermediate tyres never looked right, and it effectively ruined the races of both drivers before they had a chance to recover. In a weekend where execution mattered, that early call proved costly.

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Kamron Kent – Founder/Editor-in-Chief

The Canadian Grand Prix put on a show, from a tense fight for the race lead to the battle for P2. It was one of the best races of 2026, so far.

Mercedes have found themselves in a position once again having to control their drivers on-track behaviour, reminisent of the Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg days. If last weekend’s Grand Prix was anything to go by, they will need to fall back on that experience to manage their two star drivers.

Understandably, George Russell may be a bit deflated after retiring on lap 30 due to a power unit failure, and watching Kimi Antonelli walk away with the title. However, despite heading into June, the season is still in its early stages after only five rounds have been completed. There are still plenty of points for the championship to sway.

Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton has seemingly found his groove again, after creditting his new pre-race preparations to his strong performance in Canada. That being said, it is one of his best tracks as he ties the record of most wins by a single driver, sharing the top honours with legendary F1 driver, Michael Schumacher.

We will have to wait for the Monaco Grand Prix, next time out, to see if Hamilton’s strong performance is a one-off or a precursor of what is to come.

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