Canadian GP: George Russell Wins First Race As Lando Norris Crashes out

 

George Russell crossing the finish line in the Canadian Grand Prix for his first race win of the season

George Russell clinched his first Grand Prix victory in Montreal against the defending champion, Max Verstappen in a one-third podium finish for Mercedes. 

Kimi Antonelli was making his debut in Montreal after making his first top-five front row start of the season with the race champion, Russell, in pole position. The Mercedes duo controlled the race through the laps, even though the four leading cars were separated by only four seconds in the closing stages. He finished quickest in 1:31:52.688s. 

It was a close contest between Mercedes and its rivals. Oscar Piastri launched attacks on Antonelli to move to third, but the Mercedes rookie was resilient enough to stay ahead. Amid that situation, the McLaren duo got into a battle for the fourth position. 

Lando Norris had his front wing crash, slightly colliding with Piastri in his attempts to overtake him. Norris gained DRS on his teammate but lost out in the fight exiting the turns on lap 66. In his effort to launch another attack, he misjudged the space and crashed his front wing; a safety car was deployed. He retired from the race as a consequence. 

"No one to blame but myself," Norris reflected. "So, I apologise to the tea. And to Oscar as well for attempting something probably a bit too silly."

Norris should have let off his teammate, but with the F1 Championship race in contention between both of them, attempting to narrow the gap might have tempted him. However, launching an attack while he was close to the walls and no space on the inside Lane, he misjudged the situation. Piastri escaped a penalty as a result.