Norris\u2019s biggest Piastri issue has reared its ugly head. He has nowhere left to hide<\/a><\/b><\/p>\nBut Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a very particular circuit with a narrow speed profile. There are no high-speed corners to stress the rubber; all the corners are slow and almost all of them are chicanes. The circuit is also rated low for abrasiveness.<\/p>\n
It meant that a car that could be set up to be good on the brakes and good on traction could excel, and Mercedes did exactly that.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere wasn\u2019t much tyre overheating even though it was hot,\u201d Russell said. \u201cIt\u2019s a very smooth tarmac here in Canada. There are quite low speed corners, so the tyres aren\u2019t under much stress.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we expected a bit more tyre overheating considering the track temperature, but we\u2019re under no illusions that this really suited the strengths of our car the same way as it did last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs soon as I had clear air, I could comfortably pull the gap out. It wasn\u2019t dead easy, but I felt confident in myself and the car.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a good day, and I feel proud of myself, feel proud of the team, especially after this time 12 months ago when it was a victory lost.\u201d<\/p>\n
But in acknowledging that Mercedes nailed it opportunity this weekend at a friendly track, Russell cautioned that he didn\u2019t see this as a breakthrough.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the majority of the circuits we know it\u2019s a bit of a challenge [to set the car up], and that\u2019s why this is the first weekend both of us are on the podium.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it\u2019s great to see that when we get that chance, we take it.\u201d<\/p>\n
And that could be its own lesson from this weekend. While McLaren remains the car to beat, some circuit will suit its rivals well enough that perfect execution can lead to surprising results.<\/p>\n
Mercedes was perfect this weekend and walked away victorious.<\/p>\n
Norris & Piastri COLLIDE in Canada! | 01:04<\/p>\n
RUSSELL CONTRACT UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT AFTER CANADA TRIUMPH<\/b><\/p>\n
Russell\u2019s fourth career victory inevitably led to one question: why is he still out of contract?<\/p>\n
There are few seats available in 2026 and few top-line drivers. Most of the interest in the silly season revolves around Red Bull\u2019s befuddled young driver program, Cadillac\u2019s new seats and Pierre Gasly\u2019s teammate at Alpine.<\/p>\n
But Mercedes is out of sequence with most of the rest of the field and all of the frontrunning teams by having both drivers out of contract.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s particularly unusual given the investment the team has put into both Russell and Antonelli, who both rose through the team\u2019s driver academy to line up for works constructor.<\/p>\n
Wolff said Russell\u2019s victory changed nothing, with his quality already well known and understood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have never doubted on his speed, never doubted his capability to win races and win championships \u2014 that\u2019s not linked, the two of them,\u201d he told Sky Sports.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been stepping up over the years from the junior driver to the one who was a bit ahead, and now he\u2019s grown even more. It\u2019s really nice to see the development.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ask Mercedes or Russell and they say they\u2019re in no rush and that they won\u2019t get down to it until the middle of the year, though that window is fast approaching.<\/p>\n
On the one hand it makes fine sense. With so little alternatives for either, there really is no rush. They\u2019re bound to sign eventually.<\/p>\n
But then there\u2019s the persistent speculation that Max Verstappen could yet exit his contract, with rumours placing the triggers for various exit clauses in the next month. Wolff is a public admirer of the Dutchman, and many noted that he was surprisingly uncritical of Verstappen barging into Russell in the final laps of the Spanish Grand Prix.<\/p>\n
And in the week leading up to the Canadian Grand Prix there were reports in the Italian media that Ferrari\u2019s poor start to the season had Charles Leclerc reconsidering his commitment to the Scuderia. In 2023, near the end of Leclerc\u2019s previous Ferrari contract, Wolff said he had the Monegasque on his radar.<\/p>\n
Of course all this could simply be a play at Mercedes trying to win back some leverage in negotiations with Russell, whose value has surely risen off the back of his super consistent season so far.<\/p>\n
Certainly few expect anything other than renewal, but how long he signs up for could be interesting. There could be a significant reshuffling of the field at the end of 2026, when it becomes clear which teams are nailing the new rules and which ones are failing under them.<\/p>\n
The last time Mercedes engaged in a surprisingly long contract negotiation was with Hamilton for his last deal, which ended up being a one-year contract that allowed him to escape to Ferrari.<\/p>\n
Whatever the situation, victory in Canada can only have helped Russell\u2019s cause.<\/p>\n
Lando apologises after ‘silly’ mistake | 01:00<\/p>\n
WAS RED BULL RACING RATTLED BY RUSSELL?<\/b><\/p>\n
Predictions of fireworks at the front of the field as Russell raced Verstappen proved empty, with only a few laps of tensions book-ending Mercedes control.<\/p>\n
Russell\u2019s start was too good for Verstappen, and all the Dutchman could do was attempt to pressure the Briton in the opening five laps in the hope Mercedes\u2019s car really was going to burn through its tyres too quickly. Once it became clear that wasn\u2019t going to happen, Verstappen committed to an aggressive early-stopping strategy to keep Antonelli behind him and clinch second place.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t until after the race that victory came into his sights again, with Red Bull Racing lodging two protests against the result. Both pertained to the period behind the race-ending safety car.<\/p>\n
The first protest accused Russell of erratic driving, alleging he hit the brakes deliberately hard down the long straight in an attempt to have Verstappen overtake him, thus earning the Dutchman a penalty.<\/p>\n
The second was directly related, with the team accusing Russell of falling more than 10 car lengths behind the safety car, the regulated maximum distance, when he hit the brakes.<\/p>\n
For Red Bull Racing the smoking gun was Russell checking his mirrors before he hit the brakes and then radioing his team that Verstappen had briefly overtaken him, which the team suggested was really a message for race control to alert them to a penalty-worthy incident.<\/p>\n
If you were so disposed to a certain way of thinking, the argument mounted itself. Russell, in this strange feud with Verstappen, had joked on Saturday about forcing the reigning champion into a compromising position to try to have him make an error that might have earnt him a 12th penalty point and therefore an automatic race ban.<\/p>\n
After an excruciating wait of five and a half hours, the stewards dismissed the protest out of hand.<\/p>\n
They accepted Russell\u2019s argument that he checked his mirrors to ensure Verstappen wasn\u2019t about to rear-end him when he hit the brakes. They also accepted telemetry that showed Russell hadn\u2019t used an unusual braking force and that Verstappen had in fact done exactly the same thing on previous laps behind the safety car.<\/p>\n
It was always a long shot, particularly given the stewards hadn\u2019t even noted either of the supposed incidents in the first place. <\/p>\n
Instead it reeked of either paranoia or vengeance \u2014 paranoia because Russell had got into the team\u2019s head after all his pot-stirring since the clash in Spain, or vengeance in an attempt to get back at one of Verstappen\u2019s chief antagonists.<\/p>\n
In the end it cost Red Bull Racing \u20ac2000 per rejected protest and everyone a very late night for nothing.<\/p>\n
Stella: Lando misjudgement very costly | 01:56<\/p>\n
ANTONELLI GETS BREAKTHROUGH PODIUM, BUT NOW COMES THE HARD PART<\/b><\/p>\n
Andrea Kimi Antonelli\u2019s first-lap pass on Oscar Piastri ended up making history. With neither McLaren driver either to catch him for the rest of the race, he became the third-youngest podium-getter in Formula 1 history, stepping onto the rostrum at 18 years and 294 days old.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s behind only Max Verstappen (18 years and 228 days) and Lance Stroll (18 years and 239 days) on the list.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s also the first Italian to stand on a podium since Jarno Trulli at the 2009 Japanese Grand Prix.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was much better than what I imagined,\u201d he said of his first podium experience. \u201cHearing the crowd while walking onto the podium, I had massive goosebumps. That is definitely a moment I will remember for a very long time.<\/p>\n
\u201cResults like this and this feeling \u2014 you can\u2019t buy this feeling. It\u2019s an amazing feeling, and you just want more.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the goal now is to try to keep the same momentum and try to achieve more podiums and hopefully maybe the first win \u2014 you never know in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coming after sprint pole in Miami, Antonelli\u2019s first podium was significant validation for Mercedes\u2019s decision to elevate the junior straight into the senior team so young and with barely four years of car racing experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s also a team achievement because we\u2019ve taken him on broad when he was 11,\u201d Wolff told Sky Sports. \u201cWhat a wonderful achievement.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember him standing in the garage he couldn\u2019t even see the screens because he was so small.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen [technical director] James Allison saw him the first time in the factory he thought he was a kid that had lost his father.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Wolff noted that as Antonelli grew more at home in Formula 1, expectation management would become increasingly important for Mercedes to keep his progress in check.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe expectation management is so difficult because he\u2019s been so successful through his karting career and single seaters.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s dominated every single step on the way, and then you\u2019re coming to Formula 1 and his expectations and his dad\u2019s expectations \u2014 everybody was like, \u2018He\u2019s going to come in here and crush everyone\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is Formula 1. This is much more difficult than everything else. It was difficult at times, but that\u2019s why I think this podium is so important to get a little bit of that relief.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Mercedes boss Toto Wolff stepped onto the Canadian Grand Prix grid, he surely must\u2019ve felt a pang…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":191253,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4103],"tags":[78333,6207,13328,22619,74046,78307,78320,78301,943,78302,78338,78309,78312,78317,5070,59988,78328,78341,25001,78323,299,24982,78332,4199,577,707,4200,9824,22626,14658,78331,78327,78322,1711,538,78326,1073,78299,119,78325,16102,17905,78318,300,24993,78336,74042,78313,78304,22646,78308,22604,6938,78324,78339,78310,78321,54092,59956,25008,198,43259,104,78335,79,78340,78314,78337,24989,78316,22607,78303,78315,78311,14319,78305,78334,16,15,25002,78306,78319,78329,78330,78300],"class_list":{"0":"post-191252","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-f1","8":"tag-aggressive-early-stopping-strategy","9":"tag-america","10":"tag-andrea-kimi-antonelli","11":"tag-andrea-stella","12":"tag-automatic-race-ban","13":"tag-befuddled-young-driver","14":"tag-breakthrough-maiden-podium","15":"tag-breakthrough-podium","16":"tag-canada","17":"tag-canadian-grand","18":"tag-canadian-schedule-means","19":"tag-car-lengths","20":"tag-car-racing-experience","21":"tag-career-victory","22":"tag-charles-leclerc","23":"tag-comprehensive-performance","24":"tag-contract-negotiation","25":"tag-driver-academy","26":"tag-driver-market","27":"tag-erratic-driving","28":"tag-europe","29":"tag-exit-clauses","30":"tag-expectation-management","31":"tag-f1","32":"tag-florida","33":"tag-formula-1","34":"tag-formula1","35":"tag-george-russell","36":"tag-getty-images-inc","37":"tag-gilles-villeneuve","38":"tag-james-allison","39":"tag-junior-driver","40":"tag-junior-straight","41":"tag-lando-norris","42":"tag-las-vegas","43":"tag-made-a-fool-of-myself","44":"tag-max-verstappen","45":"tag-mercedes-wins","46":"tag-miami","47":"tag-minas-panagiotakis","48":"tag-montreal","49":"tag-nevada","50":"tag-norris-piastri","51":"tag-north-america","52":"tag-northern-america","53":"tag-one-year-contract","54":"tag-penalty-point","55":"tag-penalty-worthy-incident","56":"tag-podium-experience","57":"tag-pole-position","58":"tag-protest-accused","59":"tag-qualifying-session","60":"tag-quebec","61":"tag-race-winner-george","62":"tag-race-ending-safety-car","63":"tag-regulated-maximum-distance","64":"tag-russell-contract","65":"tag-safety-car","66":"tag-senior-team","67":"tag-silly-season","68":"tag-sky-sports","69":"tag-southern-europe","70":"tag-spain","71":"tag-speed-profile","72":"tag-sports","73":"tag-sprint-pole","74":"tag-team-achievement","75":"tag-team-needn","76":"tag-team-principal","77":"tag-third-youngest-podium-getter","78":"tag-time-offer","79":"tag-title-boost","80":"tag-title-scrap","81":"tag-top-line-drivers","82":"tag-toto-wolff","83":"tag-track-characteristics","84":"tag-track-temperature","85":"tag-uk","86":"tag-united-kingdom","87":"tag-united-states-of-america","88":"tag-unusual-braking-force","89":"tag-win-championships","90":"tag-winner-george-russell","91":"tag-works-constructor","92":"tag-young-driver-program"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=191252"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191252\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/191253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=191252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=191252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=191252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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