F1 hit Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend, and it provided plenty for discussion – from disruption on track to disruption of a team’s cool, calm and collected demeanour as the title fight heats up early in the season. While Kimi Antonelli strengthened his grip on the title race with a fourth consecutive victory in Canada, it wasn’t without a few choice words – or lack of choice thereof – exchanged with his teammate following some wheel-to-wheel action in the Sprint race.
Mercedes’ intra-team tensions boiled over once again, McLaren endured a disastrous strategic gamble and Montreal produced the sort of weekend that could shape the narrative of a large chunk of the 2026 season.
Here are the biggest takeaways from a dramatic weekend at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.
Antonelli Has Taken Control Of The Championship
If there were still any doubts about whether Kimi Antonelli is a genuine contender for the title, even as a teenager in his second year in Formula 1, Canada may well have ended them. The Mercedes youngster left Montreal with a 43-point championship lead after taking victory in the Grand Prix and finishing on the podium in the Sprint, continuing what has rapidly become an excellent run of form.
The Italian topped Free Practice 1, qualified on the front row for both the Sprint and the Grand Prix, fought aggressively against his teammate Russell throughout the weekend- ultimately capitalising when it mattered most to extend his Championship lead.
However, while Antonelli looked right at home battling his vastly more experienced teammate wheel-to-wheel – and at times he even appeared to have the stronger race pace, a few run-ins with Russell showed the rawness that still exists – but Antonelli’s confidence is growing race by race.
Most ominously for the rest of the field, Mercedes look like they have made a car capable of consistently fighting at the front. The impromptu break caused by the cancellation of the races earlier in the season doesn’t at this stage look to have evened the playing field as much as some teams would be hoping.
Mercedes Have A Bigger Problem Brewing
Mercedes should leave Canada celebrating a dominant weekend, and the team will undoubtedly feel satisfied with another huge points haul for both its constructors’ campaign and its drivers. Instead, however, a growing intra-team rivalry has started to emerge.
Russell and Antonelli clashed in multiple flashpoints across the Sprint and the Grand Prix, repeatedly going wheel-to-wheel as neither driver gave an inch.
The Sprint battle in particular looked to leave genuine frustration on Antonelli’s side of the garage. The teenager repeatedly complained over team radio that Russell had forced him off the circuit, with team boss Toto Wolff eventually stepping in himself to calm his driver down, telling him to “stop moaning”. The racecraft of the youngster, while impressive, faltered at times when he struggled to control his emotions in the cockpit.
Then came Sunday. The pair resumed their fight almost immediately after the start, swapping positions and battling aggressively into the final chicane and Turn 1. At several moments, contact looked like it was sure to happen. Russell’s eventual retirement, caused by a power unit failure, spared Mercedes from having to manage what could have become an even more explosive conclusion. Not that the diffusion, in any way, calmed down Russell, who was seen throwing his headrest from the car after the car came to a stop. It was the Brit’s turn to be visibly frustrated now. After all, Russell knows he cannot afford to let Antonelli establish himself as the undisputed main points scorer of the team while Antonelli increasingly looks like a driver unwilling to defer to anyone – including his own team mate.
For Wolff, that balancing act may become one of the defining challenges of Mercedes’ season, and very reminiscent of an infamous rivalry of the past.
McLaren’s Championship Momentum Dwindles Further
Heading into the 2026 season, with new regulations on the table, McLaren have the Drivers’ Championship and the Constructors Championship under their belts. However, the Woking team’s chances of retaining these titles into 2027 are slipping through their fingers. The start of the season saw Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri fail to even make it out of the starting blocks at times, with a slew of DNS’s amidst their top six finishes.
A P2 for Norris in and a P4 for Piastri in the Sprint saw the team off to a good start – but the showery conditions ahead of Sunday’s Grand Prix soon put a stop to that momentum with one bizarre strategy call. The decision to start both Norris and Piastri on intermediate tyres proved disastrous almost immediately – both drivers were quick off the mark, but immediately forced into early pit stops after realising the track was already suitable for slicks.
From there, the weekend only unravelled further. Norris initially recovered brilliantly, but repeated off-track moments, another stop to clear grass from the car to prevent overheating and an eventual gearbox failure ended a miserable afternoon.
Across the garage, Piastri’s race was arguably even worse. After dropping back early with the tyre gamble, the Australian collided with Alex Albon while trying to recover through the field. A broken front wing and a 10-second penalty later, the afternoon was more-or-less over for the Woking unit with very little chance of recovery. McLaren left the paddock on Sunday night with no points to show for it – while the Sprint added 12 points to the tally, they still trail 41 points behind Ferrari, who currently sit in P2 in the Constructors’ Championship..
Ferrari Are Quietly Gathering Momentum
While much of the attention focused on Mercedes and McLaren, Ferrari arguably produced one of their most encouraging weekends of the season. Lewis Hamilton looked competitive from the very first session in Montreal and converted that pace into a podium finish on Sunday after overtaking Max Verstappen late in the race.
The seven-time World Champion appears to be far more comfortable with the Ferrari package that he had last season, regularly featuring near the front in both Sprint Qualifying and Grand Prix Qualifying. Leclerc also quietly delivered another solid points haul despite struggling at times with balance issues and traffic.
Most importantly, Ferrari looked genuinely competitive in race trim. Hamilton’s ability to pressure and eventually pass Verstappen in the closing stages showed the Scuderia may finally be finding some consistency with tyre management and long-run pace.
The Italian outfit aren’t out of the woods yet – they still lack the outright speed of Mercedes over one lap. However, if Ferrari continue to improve at this rate, they could yet become a major upset to Mercedes in both championships later in the season.
Red Bull Start The Rebuild
A subpar start to the season for Red Bull isn’t ideal – but with two drivers consistently showing promise this year, it could be worse. Canada, at least, offered signs of progress for the Milton Keynes team to be climbing through the ranks towards the top again. Verstappen claimed his first podium of the season with third place and applied consistent pressure to Hamilton in the closing stages.
The RB22 still, however, does not appear to have the outright pace to challenge Mercedes consistently, particularly over a full race distance, but the car looked far more stable than it has in previous rounds this season. Even Verstappen himself sounded more comfortable throughout the weekend – especially compared to some of the radio frustration we’ve heard earlier this season.
On the other side of the garage, Hadjar also impressed once again despite penalties costing him heavily on Sunday. The Frenchman showed excellent qualifying pace, stating that he felt like he had “thrown it all away” when he failed to make it into the top 3, and fought aggressively throughout the race – even if he occasionally crossed the line with his defending. Red Bull may not yet be back in title contention, but Canada suggested they’re moving in the right direction, and have two drivers capable of making up the deficit to the top three teams.
Lindblad Continues To Turn Heads
Even though his weekend ended before the Grand Prix properly began after a clutch issue left him stationary on the grid, Arvid Lindblad once again showed why so many are impressed with the young Brit. The Racing Bulls rookie impressed throughout both practice and qualifying, repeatedly placing himself amongst far more experienced drivers as the youngest on the grid.
Lindblad reached SQ3 in Sprint Qualifying, qualified inside the top 10 for the Grand Prix and even scored points in the Sprint itself. Montreal is absolutely not an easy circuit for young drivers – the walls are unforgiving and mistakes are punished brutally. Confidence is a must – and it appears to be a trait the Brit has in buckets.
As with any youngster, and like we’ve seen with Antonelli and Hadjar, there is still clear rawness in some areas, but his pace over one lap continues to stand out.
Reliability Is Becoming A Major Storyline
Canada was another bruising weekend from a reliability standpoint as the true state of the newly upgraded regulations continues to iron itself out. Russell’s retirement from the lead from a power unit issue potentially cost Mercedes a one-two finish, while Norris’ gearbox failure compounded McLaren’s miserable afternoon.
Elsewhere, Alonso retired with a seat issue (another issue to add to Aston Martin’s horrifying start to 2026), Pérez suffered suspension failure – and Lindblad did not even make the start because of a clutch problem.
With the field so competitive at the front, reliability could end up becoming a decisive factor in the championship fight, such is the hallmark of a major regulation overhaul each time they come around. This weekend, Antonelli combined outright pace with consistency and trouble-free weekends during his winning streak, while most of his rivals continue to lose major points through mechanical failures, as well as mistakes and strategy issues. While it’s early in the season, the gap is quickly growing out front – and momentum can be instrumental in securing the Championship, not only in terms of points – but also as an aid in mindset.
As the grid now prepare to drive the streets of Monaco, the Jewel in the Crown, the new regulations will be put to the test once again on an entirely different breed of circuit. Who will stand atop one of the most sought-after podiums in the sport, and who will find themselves with more ground to make up as the season rolls on?