Formula 1’s 2025 Canadian Grand Prix Review
Russell wins in Montreal as McLaren dream turns to disaster
The 2025 Canadian Grand Prix delivered yet another unforgettable chapter in this already dramatic season. George Russell converted pole position into a masterful victory on the streets of Montreal, giving Mercedes their first win of the year and reigniting their hopes of returning to the top of the Formula 1 mountain. But while Russell celebrated, the McLaren garage was reeling — after a heartbreaking collision between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in the closing laps cost the team a near-certain double podium.
The chaos, the strategy swings, and the late-race heartbreak made for a Canadian Grand Prix that will be talked about for the rest of the season.
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2025 Canadian Grand Prix – Qualifying Review
Russell stuns Verstappen and Piastri with pole in Montreal thriller
George Russell lit up the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve with a spectacular final-lap effort to take pole position for the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix, edging out Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri in one of the most unpredictable qualifying sessions of the season. The Mercedes driver clocked a 1:10.899 on the medium tyre to beat Verstappen by 0.160s, delivering what he called “the most exhilarating lap of my life.”
It marked Russell’s sixth career pole and his second consecutive pole in Montreal, capping off a superb day for Mercedes as rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli impressed in fourth. Verstappen had looked strong throughout, while Piastri led Q3 temporarily before being relegated to third — despite running the softer compound.
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc split the McLarens in P5 and P8, while Lando Norris had a scruffy session en route to seventh. Fernando Alonso gave his home fans something to cheer about with P6 for Aston Martin, and Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar slotted into ninth before picking up a three-place grid penalty for impeding Carlos Sainz. Alex Albon rounded out the top 10, overcoming an earlier incident where his Williams shed its engine cover down the main straight.
Q1 – Norris goes fastest as Sainz, Stroll, and Gasly fall
Saturday’s qualifying began under grey Montreal skies, but the action was red-hot from the start. Carlos Sainz’s difficult weekend got worse as he failed to advance past Q1, caught out in traffic and ultimately left fuming after being impeded by Hadjar in the final sector. He would line up P17.
Local hero Lance Stroll disappointed his home crowd with P18, while Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly made up the back row. A red flag midway through the session was caused by Albon’s engine cover flying off his car — an unusual incident that briefly delayed proceedings.
Norris topped the times with a 1:11.826, followed by Piastri and Leclerc. Russell and Verstappen kept their powder dry with quiet runs, advancing safely to Q2.
Knocked out: Bortoleto, Sainz, Stroll, Lawson, Gasly
Q2 – Russell strikes early on mediums
As the strategy games ramped up, most of the field turned to softs for Q2 — but Russell once again went against the grain. Running the C5 medium compound, he banged in a 1:11.570 to top the session, ahead of Leclerc and Verstappen. Norris and Piastri slotted into fourth and fifth, while Albon squeezed through in P10.
Tsunoda, despite a strong effort, missed the cut in P11 — and his weekend worsened with a 10-place grid drop for a red flag infringement in FP3. Colapinto continued his strong qualifying form in P12, ahead of Hulkenberg and the Haas duo of Bearman and Ocon.
Knocked out: Tsunoda, Colapinto, Hulkenberg, Bearman, Ocon
Q3 – Russell delivers under pressure
With the rain staying away, Q3 erupted into a shootout between the big three: Mercedes, Red Bull, and McLaren. Verstappen struck first with a 1:11.248, only for Piastri to edge ahead by two-hundredths. But it was Russell’s final flying lap that stunned the field — clocking sector after sector in the green before crossing the line with a mighty 1:10.899.
Piastri settled for third, having failed to find another improvement on his final run, while Verstappen couldn’t answer Russell’s pace despite matching his speed through the middle sector. Antonelli put in a mature effort to take P4, followed by Hamilton, Alonso, and Norris. Leclerc made a rare mistake in Sector 2 that confined him to P8. Hadjar and Albon completed the top 10, with the former later penalized.
Russell’s reaction said it all:
“I was six-tenths up by the final corner… I thought, this lap is mighty. Crossing the line and seeing P1 was a real surprise — but a great one.”
Top 10 – Canadian Grand Prix Qualifying Results
| Pos | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:12.075 | 1:11.570 | 1:10.899 |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 1:12.054 | 1:11.638 | 1:11.059 |
| 3 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 1:11.939 | 1:11.715 | 1:11.120 |
| 4 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:12.279 | 1:11.974 | 1:11.391 |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:11.952 | 1:11.885 | 1:11.526 |
| 6 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 1:12.073 | 1:11.805 | 1:11.586 |
| 7 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 1:11.826 | 1:11.599 | 1:11.625 |
| 8 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:12.038 | 1:11.626 | 1:11.682 |
| 9 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT | 1:12.211 | 1:12.003 | 1:11.867 |
| 10 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 1:12.090 | 1:11.892 | 1:11.907 |
🏁 2025 Canadian Grand Prix – Race Summary
Russell wins for Mercedes as McLaren pair implode in dramatic late clash
George Russell stormed to a commanding and emotionally charged victory at the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix, leading from pole and surviving intense pressure and strategy swings to take his and Mercedes’ first win of the season. But the spotlight soon shifted behind him — not just to Max Verstappen and rookie sensation Kimi Antonelli who completed the podium, but to a catastrophic late-race collision between McLaren teammates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
The race began cleanly under clear skies at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, with Russell maintaining his lead ahead of Verstappen and a fast-starting Antonelli, who jumped Piastri for third. The top 13 runners started on medium tyres, with Norris and Leclerc on hards to keep strategy options open.
Early pit stops revealed a split in approach — some opting for a two-stop, others nursing the tyres for a long one-stop gamble. Verstappen blinked first, pitting on Lap 13, prompting Russell and Antonelli to cover him the following laps. This reshuffled the field, with Norris and Leclerc briefly leading during their extended first stints before falling back in line.
Piastri emerged as Russell’s main challenger through the middle stint, eventually moving into third after a clean undercut on Antonelli. Behind him, Norris had caught up — and soon, the McLaren drivers were locked in an escalating intra-team battle that would shape the closing chapters.
⚠️ Collision Course: McLaren’s Montreal Meltdown
Into the wall and out of the race! 😱
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 15, 2025
Lando Norris apologised for this collision with his teammate Oscar Piastri #F1 #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/4FiNVm1hiI
With ten laps to go, Piastri and Norris were separated by less than a second, both hunting down Antonelli for the final podium spot. Norris made a bold move at the hairpin, briefly getting ahead, only for Piastri to retake the position into Turn 13.
Then came the breaking point.
On Lap 67, Norris lunged again — this time misjudging the closing rate and hitting the rear of Piastri’s car. The contact sent Norris out of the race and brought out the Safety Car. “All my fault,” Norris said over the radio, apologizing instantly.
Piastri continued, nursing his wounded McLaren to the pits and rejoining in fourth behind Russell, Verstappen, and Antonelli. The crash — still under investigation — cost McLaren valuable points and added tension to what had been one of the season’s strongest intra-team battles.
🏁 2025 Canadian Grand Prix – Final Classification
| Pos | Driver | Team | Laps | Time/Retired | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | Mercedes | 70 | 1:31:52.688 | 25 |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 70 | +0.228s | 18 |
| 3 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 70 | +1.014s | 15 |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 70 | +2.109s | 12 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 70 | +3.442s | 10 |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 70 | +10.713s | 8 |
| 7 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 70 | +10.972s | 6 |
| 8 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 70 | +15.364s | 4 |
| 9 | Esteban Ocon | Haas Ferrari | 69 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 10 | Carlos Sainz | Williams Mercedes | 69 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 11 | Oliver Bearman | Haas Ferrari | 69 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 12 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 69 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 13 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine Renault | 69 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 14 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 69 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 15 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 69 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 16 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT | 69 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 17 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 69 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 18 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 66 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT | 53 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 46 | DNF | 0 |
🏁 Mercedes Celebrate, Verstappen Settles
Kimi becomes GRANDE KIMI!! 👏
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 15, 2025
It's Kimi Antonelli's first podium in Formula 1, completing a Mercedes 1-3 💪#F1 #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/AJu8fnpE4A
Up front, Russell executed a flawless race, managing his pace, executing his stops, and fending off Verstappen, whose late-race charge faltered slightly in traffic. Antonelli, mature beyond his years, completed a historic first F1 podium in just his tenth start, delivering a Mercedes 1–3 that could prove pivotal for the team’s resurgence.
Piastri held onto fourth, salvaging important points that allowed him to retain the championship lead. Leclerc and Hamilton came home in fifth and sixth, both having expressed frustration with strategy over the radio. Alonso and Hulkenberg took solid top-10s for Aston Martin and Kick Sauber, while Ocon and Sainz rounded out the points — though both were under investigation post-race for erratic driving.
Three drivers failed to finish: Alex Albon, Liam Lawson, and Lando Norris. The incident between the McLaren drivers will be the defining image of the weekend — a reminder that even in a sport built on speed, trust and timing are everything.
🏁 Conclusion
The 2025 Canadian Grand Prix was a turning point — not just for Mercedes, who finally found their winning rhythm with George Russell and rookie Kimi Antonelli, but for the entire championship narrative. Russell’s commanding drive, Antonelli’s debut podium, and Verstappen’s steady recovery to second highlighted a weekend where cool heads prevailed at the front.
But the story everyone will remember is the McLaren meltdown. What should have been another double podium turned into disaster as Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri collided with just four laps to go. While Piastri salvaged fourth and kept his championship lead intact, Norris’ DNF — and his immediate radio apology — laid bare the fragile balance between teammates locked in a title fight.
As the F1 circus now packs up and heads to Austria in two weeks’ time, all eyes turn to the Red Bull Ring. Can Verstappen strike back on home turf? Will McLaren regroup after their Montreal heartbreak? And can Mercedes ride the momentum of their Canadian triumph into another winning weekend?
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📚 Sources
- Formula1.com – Russell beats Verstappen and Piastri to pole in thrilling Qualifying for Canadian GP
- Formula1.com – Full Canadian GP Qualifying Results
- Formula1.com – Russell takes solid victory as Piastri and Norris collide late on in dramatic Canadian Grand Prix
- Formula1.com – Full Canadian GP Race Results
