Formula 1 News of the Week – June 20th, 2025
With no Grand Prix scheduled this weekend, the Formula 1 world takes a rare breather. But while the engines cool, the headlines don’t. Montreal’s place on the calendar is now secure for the next decade, Ferrari is licking its wounds after a brutal Canadian GP, and Brad Pitt is inching closer to delivering the most realistic racing movie of all time. Let’s take a look at what made news in Formula 1 this week.
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Montreal Locks In Formula 1 Until 2035
Great news for Canadian motorsport fans: Formula 1 has officially extended its deal with Montreal through 2035. The new five-year extension ensures that Circuit Gilles Villeneuve will remain a fixture on the F1 calendar for at least another decade. The announcement comes alongside plans for significant infrastructure improvements, including a revamped paddock and enhanced fan zones.
Montreal has long been one of the most electric race weekends in the sport, attracting massive crowds and producing memorable moments—from Gilles Villeneuve’s legacy to Robert Kubica’s 2008 win. The continued presence of the Canadian GP reinforces North America’s growing importance in the F1 ecosystem, which now includes races in Miami, Austin, and Las Vegas.
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🔥 Ferrari’s Canadian Collapse: “A Massive Failure”
Ferrari Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur did not hold back after one of the team’s worst weekends of the season. “We made too many mistakes and failed massively,” he said following a disastrous showing in Montreal. A double retirement—Leclerc due to engine failure, and Sainz after spinning into Alex Albon—capped off a race that began with strategy missteps and a puzzling tire choice on a drying track.
After showing promise earlier in the season, Ferrari’s title ambitions have taken a major blow. With rivals like Mercedes and McLaren finding form, the Scuderia must regroup quickly ahead of Austria. One more weekend like this, and they risk sliding into no-man’s land in the Constructors’ standings.
📊 Winners & Losers: The Canadian GP Post-Mortem
Every Grand Prix tells a story, and Montreal’s 2025 edition offered up plenty of plot twists—some uplifting, others disastrous. From career-defining milestones to weekend implosions, here’s a deeper dive into the five biggest winners and losers from the Canadian Grand Prix:
🏆 Winners
George Russell – Redemption Delivered
Russell’s clinical drive to victory was a statement. After a string of near-misses and internal pressure mounting at Mercedes, the Brit finally converted performance into points, delivering his first win of the season and giving Mercedes their first taste of victory in 2025. His controlled pace, smart tire management, and refusal to crack under pressure showed exactly why he’s a future title contender.
Kimi Antonelli – The Rookie Arrives
What a moment for 17-year-old Kimi Antonelli. The Mercedes junior—and one of the most hyped prospects in recent memory—secured his first career Formula 1 podium in just his rookie season. Driving with maturity beyond his years, Antonelli avoided the chaos, kept his composure during safety car restarts, and executed overtakes when it counted. His performance silenced any remaining doubters and proved that Mercedes’ faith in him is already paying off.
Nico Hülkenberg – Overtake of the Year?
Veteran Nico Hülkenberg reminded everyone why he’s still one of the grid’s most consistent point scorers. His daring move on Carlos Sainz around the outside—a Ferrari, no less—sent social media buzzing. Hülkenberg brought home more valuable points for Kick Sauber and continues to outperform expectations in what many expected to be a backmarker team. His results this year are helping build real momentum ahead of his switch to Audi in 2026.
Williams – Quietly on the Rise
Though not a headline-grabbing weekend, both Williams drivers managed clean races and scored valuable midfield points. Their steady progress this season is beginning to bear fruit, with the Grove-based team now consistently competing for top 10 finishes. With solid reliability and smart pit strategy, they’re becoming a dark horse in the midfield.
Brad Pitt – From the Big Screen to the Pit Lane
While he didn’t set a lap time, Brad Pitt was undeniably one of the winners of the weekend. His F1 movie production took over sections of Circuit Gilles Villeneuve between sessions, thrilling fans and bringing unprecedented Hollywood attention to the sport. The realism and cooperation between the production crew and the F1 ecosystem have set a new benchmark for sports filmmaking. Lewis Hamilton, co-producing the project, continues to shape F1 history—on and off the track.
❌ Losers
Ferrari – A Weekend to Forget
A double DNF. Strategic blunders. Miscommunication. It was a total breakdown for the Scuderia in Canada. Charles Leclerc was eliminated early due to a power unit issue compounded by an ill-advised switch to wet tires on a drying track. Carlos Sainz, meanwhile, spun into Albon during an ill-timed move and retired. Vasseur’s frustration post-race was palpable—and justified. Ferrari’s championship hopes took a serious hit.
Lando Norris & Oscar Piastri – Friendly Fire
What began as a harmonious season at McLaren is starting to show cracks. The tension between Norris and Piastri boiled over in Montreal, where contact between the two cost the team a shot at the podium. Both drivers remain quick—but managing this partnership may become one of McLaren’s biggest challenges moving forward. If cooler heads don’t prevail, it could get messy.
Alpine – Invisible Again
It’s never a good sign when a team is barely mentioned during the broadcast—and for Alpine, anonymity is becoming the norm. With no points, no standout pace, and no strategy gambles, their Canadian GP felt like an afterthought. The pressure on management, including new advisor Flavio Briatore, is quietly building as the team continues to underperform.
Sergio Perez – A Weekend to Forget
In a car capable of winning races, Checo Perez continues to underdeliver. After a disappointing qualifying session, he got tangled up in midfield traffic and made little impact on Sunday. As contract talks loom over his future at Red Bull, races like this are doing little to secure his place.
Aston Martin – Nowhere Near the Fight
Aston Martin’s early 2023 form seems like a distant memory. Canada exposed more of the same weaknesses—mediocre qualifying, lack of tire grip, and no threat to the top five. Fernando Alonso finished outside the points, and Lance Stroll’s home race lacked fireworks. With rivals improving, the green team is slipping further into midfield obscurity.
🎬 Brad Pitt’s F1 Movie Heats Up in Montreal
One of the most unique storylines of the 2025 season has nothing to do with championship points—but everything to do with bringing F1 to the silver screen. Brad Pitt’s untitled Formula 1 movie, produced by Apple Studios and co-produced by Lewis Hamilton, resumed filming at the Canadian Grand Prix with unprecedented access to the F1 paddock and track.
The film follows Pitt’s character—a retired racer returning to the grid—as he mentors a rising star in a fictional team called APXGP. Real F1 cars have been modified to resemble the team’s custom livery and even ran on-track during practice session breaks for added realism. With scenes shot in the middle of real Grands Prix, it’s shaping up to be the most authentic racing film ever made. Pitt’s garage presence drew plenty of attention, and fans were thrilled to see a rare Hollywood-F1 crossover take center stage.
🛣️ What’s Next: The Red Bull Ring Awaits
While we take a breath this week, the action resumes at the Red Bull Ring in Austria from June 27–29. The high-altitude circuit is a favorite for overtakes, wheel-to-wheel battles, and unpredictable weather. Mercedes will be aiming to build on Russell’s momentum, while McLaren will need to cool internal tensions. The biggest question mark, though, surrounds Ferrari: can they rebound from disaster, or will the cracks continue to widen?
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