Andrea Kimi Antonelli says Mercedes battle with George Russell in Canada pushed the limits
For much of the Canadian Grand Prix, the battle for victory became an all-Mercedes affair, with George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli separated by mere hundredths as they fought intensely for the race lead in one of the most entertaining contests of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
However, the fight came to an abrupt end on lap 30 when George Russell was forced to retire due to an electrical failure. From that moment, Andrea Kimi Antonelli was left unchallenged at the front, allowing the Italian driver to secure his fourth consecutive victory and strengthen his lead in the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship to 43 points over his teammate.
Before Russell’s retirement, the two Mercedes drivers had delivered a thrilling spectacle, repeatedly overtaking one another, making mistakes under pressure, defending aggressively, and attacking from every possible angle in a fierce fight for victory.
Speaking after the race, Andrea Kimi Antonelli admitted both drivers were fully committed to the battle:
“We were pushing and we were really fighting to win, because we both wanted it badly. We were just trying to do our best to put ourselves in the best possible position,” Andrea Kimi Antonelli said.
The Italian also made it clear that this was not the way he would have chosen to win. Once George Russell retired at the end of lap 30, the contest was effectively over, with the Mercedes W17 number 63 suffering the electrical issue that abruptly ended the duel.
“In the end, it was a great battle. Obviously, it’s a shame for him to have had that problem. We still won, but that’s not the way I like to take a victory.
“It would have been really interesting to see how that duel would have ended. We were extremely close. I think I had a slight advantage at that stage, but the conditions were difficult, and I believe we both had flat spots on the tyres.
“I had one on the front-left after I nearly ran into him at the penultimate corner. Then I picked up another on the right side. We both had some big lock-ups, and it became really complicated. But we were enjoying the fight and giving absolutely everything.”
The intense battle for Saturday’s Sprint victory had already prompted additional caution within Mercedes. Although Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell raced each other openly again on Sunday, both appeared slightly less aggressive than the day before. Even so, there were still moments when the pair came dangerously close to repeating the Turn 1–Turn 2 contact that had frustrated the Italian driver earlier in the weekend.
One of the most closely examined incidents was Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s dramatic save at the final chicane. The Italian acknowledged that, at times, Sunday’s battle also approached the limits of acceptable racing conduct.
“Yes, I think in some moments our duel was still a bit on the limit, borderline. Especially at the final chicane, because I was ahead in the corner but I had to turn away, otherwise we would have made contact.
“So yes, it was definitely a bit on the edge. But that’s how it went. And as I said, now we move on. We focus on Monaco.”
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