Mercedes drivers George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli are currently fighting for the World Championship title. After the Miami GP, Antonelli is leading the drivers’ championship and Russell is 20 points behind him which makes the Brit second in the row.
The fifth race of the season, the Canadian GP starts on Friday, May 22 and runs until Sunday, May 24. Currently, there isn’t a huge gap in the drivers’ standings, so there is still a chance for Russell to make a comeback, and this race is it.
The Season So Far
Mercedes has been dominating the grands prix so far this season. In the past four races, the Italian driver secured a hat-trick and a second-place finish. The Italian youngster finished in second position in the Australian GP and first position in the Chinese GP, Japanese GP, and Miami GP; he currently has 100 points in the drivers’ championship. While the 28-year-old has finished one race in first place, one in second, and two in fourth place. The Brit won the Australian GP, locked in a second-place finish in the Chinese GP, and took fourth place in the Japanese and Miami GPs.
Australian GP
Russell was the pole sitter at the Australian GP. He set the blistering lap time of 1m 18.518s. Mercedes locked out the front row, with Russell on pole and his teammate Antonelli alongside him. The Italian youngster set a lap time of 1m 18.811s. In the beginning Russell lost his lead to Leclerc but he managed to get it back. Kimi had a poor start and dropped to seventh place. However, he drove fast through the corners, overtook several cars, and fought his way back to finish second. The 19-year-old finished 2.9 seconds behind his British teammate.
Chinese GP
At the Chinese GP, Antonelli became the pole-sitter with a lap time of 1m 32.064s and Russell was second in the grid with 1m 32.286s. At the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix, Kimi lost his historic pole advantage to the seven-time champion, Lewis Hamilton at the start. The 19-year-old brilliantly reclaimed the lead on Lap 2. He managed a Lap 11 pitstop under the Safety Car and navigated a late scare at Turn 14 to win by 5.515 seconds. George Russell slipped to P4 initially, he overtook Charles Leclerc on Lap 3. Struggling for grip on cold tires at the restart, Russell took advantage of the ongoing battle between the Ferraris to pull off decisive overtakes on Lap 25 and finish in P2.
Japanese GP
Mercedes locked out the front row again at the Japanese GP, with Antonelli in first and Russell in second. A poor start dropped the Italian to sixth. However, he maximized his recovery pace and the ‘free’ pitstop vaulted him to lead. He secured the win and the championship lead by a 13.7-second gap. Russell pitted right before the caution, he lost track position. He struggled with the energy deployment limits on the restart and finished fourth after failing to pass Charles Leclerc.
Miami GP
At the Miami GP, Antonelli started from first and Russell started from fifth on the grid. The 19-year-old drove fiercely against Norris. Antonelli won his third consecutive Grand Prix, making history as the first driver to win three consecutive Grands Prix from pole position, and the first driver to win at the Miami circuit from pole. On the other hand, Russell struggled for pure pace throughout the weekend, qualifying 0.399 seconds behind his teammate and finished the race in P4 with a damaged front wing.
Canada — Russell’s Happy Hunting Ground
The British man has always driven so well at this circuit. Last year, George Russell won the Canadian GP from his pole position, Verstappen finished in second and Antonelli in third. During quali, the Brit beat Verstappen by 0.160s in a thrilling fight for pole. After joining Mercedes, Russell finished every race in the top four, except for the 2023 race where he crashed.
| Year | Qualifying | Race |
| 2022 | P8 | P4 |
| 2023 | P5 | DNF |
| 2024 | P1 | P3 |
| 2025 | P1 | P1 |
Although it is Antonelli’s second time racing in Canada compared to Russell, who has visited the track four more times, the Italian driver’s lack of experience in Montreal did not stop him from having one of his strongest races there last year. He became the third-youngest driver in F1 history to step onto the podium.
What To Watch
Mercedes is bringing its major upgrade package to Canada, which its rivals already brought to the last race in Miami, yet Mercedes still came out on top. This race is Russell’s chance to make a comeback.
Twenty points is a deficit, not a verdict. Montreal has a way of reshuffling the order — and Russell, more than anyone on the grid, knows exactly how to win here.
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