By buld_online 
George Russell gave Mercedes its first Formula One victory of the 2025 season on Sunday, capitalising on a dramatic collision between McLaren teammates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in the closing laps of the Canadian Grand Prix. The win marked Russell’s first since Las Vegas last year and reasserted Mercedes’ challenge in a title race now wide open.
Russell, who had started from pole at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, crossed the line under a safety car after Norris clipped the back of Piastri’s car three laps from the finish. The crash ended Norris’ race and left Piastri unable to challenge for a podium, eventually finishing fourth.
“It’s amazing to be back on the top step,” said Russell. “I felt last year was a victory lost and probably got the victory today due to the incredible pole lap yesterday. Well done team. That made up for last year.”
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, aiming for a fourth consecutive win in Canada, had to settle for second, his challenge petering out behind the safety car. Mercedes’ rookie driver Kimi Antonelli clinched third, securing his first podium finish and becoming the first Italian to stand on the rostrum since 2009.
Piastri extended his lead in the drivers’ standings to 198 points, with Norris trailing at 176. Verstappen now sits on 155 points, followed by Russell at 136. In the constructors’ championship, Mercedes leapfrogged Ferrari to take second place, although McLaren remains firmly in the lead.
The incident between the McLaren drivers injected sudden drama into an otherwise controlled race. Norris, who had earlier led the race thanks to an alternate tyre strategy, admitted fault immediately.
“I’m sorry. All my bad. All my fault. Stupid from me,” Norris said over the radio.
“Glad I didn’t ruin his race. In the end apologies to the team,” he told Sky Sports later. “This wasn’t even like a ‘that’s racing’, it was just silly from my part.”
Race stewards issued Norris a five-second penalty, though it made little difference as he had already retired. Piastri, who pitted under the safety car, was left with fresher tyres but no chance to use them before the race ended.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton came in fifth and sixth respectively, with Hamilton’s car reportedly damaged after hitting a groundhog. Fernando Alonso secured seventh for Aston Martin, followed by Nico Hulkenberg in eighth for Sauber. Esteban Ocon placed ninth for Haas in its 200th Grand Prix, with Carlos Sainz rounding out the top ten for Williams.
A post-race protest by Red Bull was dismissed by stewards after more than five hours of deliberation.
Antonelli’s third-place finish made him the third-youngest driver ever to achieve an F1 podium. “I was just hoping for the race to finish, to be honest,” the 18-year-old said.
The race had started cleanly, with Russell maintaining the lead and Verstappen following closely. Norris opted for a longer first stint on hard tyres, leading the pack by lap 16 before rejoining behind Piastri after his stop. Meanwhile, Leclerc questioned Ferrari’s decision to pit him with life still left in his tyres, and Hamilton expressed concerns about his car’s performance.
As F1 heads into the next rounds, the championship battle is heating up, both between teams and, increasingly, within them.