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F1 2026 Canadian Grand Prix Full Sprint Race
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00:00pole pointing to the right-hand side. I would imagine that's going to be replicated when we
00:05get going for real. Starting tyres, it's a free choice, and it is quite a mixture. Arvin Lindblad,
00:11P9 on the grid, starts on the hard compound tyre, according to our data. The majority on the
00:17mediums, Perez and Stroll, due to start on the softs, along with Valtteri Bottas. Are you surprised
00:22a few more haven't taken the gamble to go on the softs? Because tyre degradation hasn't been much
00:27this weekend. It hasn't, but I think they really want to keep as many as they can for qualifying
00:32this afternoon here on Montreal time. So, yeah, I think they know they can lean very hard on the
00:39mediums and push, so it makes sense to me. But as you say, I think, judging by the fact that,
00:46for example, yesterday in spring qualifying, they were able to get two really fast laps out of the
00:50soft tyre, so everything's quite durable. It's a low-grip surface, as George Russell working
00:57hard to generate some tyre carcass and tyre surface temperature, and they're a long way in
01:02front of everybody. I was going to say, all that temperature generation might come to nothing,
01:07given that he's going to be waiting for quite a long time, because whilst his teammate is a
01:11fair way behind, so are the rest. That's Lewis Hamilton starting fifth, making his way to the
01:16hairpin. George Russell's halfway down that back straight. Yeah, it seems as if the Ferraris, also,
01:21they've got a good way of warming up their front tyres, in particular. Caroon at Sky Race Control.
01:25Yeah, just listening in to Kimi Antonelli's team radio, he's obviously struggled with
01:29starts this year, Crofty. Pete Bonington telling him, your clutch target was on point, so hopefully
01:35he will get off the line better than he has so far this season. It's an amazing stat, isn't it,
01:39for a team that have a 70-point advantage in the Constructors' Championship, and a 20-point
01:43advantage with one teammate over another in the drivers. They haven't led the opening lap this season.
01:49No, they've lost more places, but you tend to at the front. You're always going to gain more places
01:53if you're at the back more often than not, so George sort of scooping the pack up a little bit
01:59now, but both Mercedes left two 11s of black Pirelli rubber when they left the dummy grid, so
02:07we'll see. What matters is how they get away now, but it's 142 metres down to the first braking point,
02:14but it's all on a curve anyway. It's a very tricky start here in Montreal.
02:20Certainly is. Max Verstappen, what can he do to make up places? What can they do at Aston Martin to
02:26try and get
02:26Lance Stroll into this race? Well, he'll be starting from the pit lane if he's starting. At least they've
02:33now actually got the tyres on, still in their blankets, and it might be that they're going to try and
02:38send
02:38Lance Stroll into this. If nothing else, it's a good test session for what's to come later in the day.
02:43I was expecting a lot of this with these fundamental changes of 26 cars, to be honest, a lot of
02:49these
02:49problems. Right, we're all lined up on the grid. The four, five are making their way to the end of
02:56the pit lane to start. We've actually got a green flag, and we can have the pre-start procedure where
03:02the drivers are allowed to build up their revs. George is extreme and is pointing to the right-hand
03:07side, isn't he? There's two Mercedes are going to meet somewhere in the middle here. Sprint race,
03:12Montreal lights out, away we go, and Russell does get away well. Antonelli may be a little bit slower,
03:18but he's covered off Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and under pressure there, the McLaren with Lewis
03:23Hamilton go around the outside of Piastri, and now trying to get on terms with Norris. Piastri will fight
03:28that back as Russell leads from Antonelli, and the McLaren has been passed by Lewis. Hamilton,
03:34Oscar Piastri has dropped a place already. We see a few skirmishes at the back, but they're all clean
03:40and through. Yeah, absolutely. So perfect starts from both Mercedes, Russell particularly getting
03:46away well, and that's scuppered the early chances of, say, Ferrari, but we've seen Lewis very quick
03:52in that first sector so far in this event, and it's paid dividends with a place on Oscar Piastri.
03:58It certainly has. There's George Russell leading from Kimi Antonelli to Mercedes, making a little bit
04:04of a game there on the McLaren of Lando Norris in third, then Hamilton and Piastri. Leclerc,
04:08Verstappen, Hadjar, Lindblad and Sainz. The top ten points down to eighth, as down the inside goes the
04:16hast there of Esteban Ocon on Sergio Perez. Fernando Alonso is lying in wait behind the
04:22the Cadillac, and now we see Antonelli making up a lot there on George Russell down that back
04:29straight. The Mercedes almost fighting, almost an opportunity for Antonelli into the final chicane.
04:34Stroll is out on racetrack. He did get out into the race, albeit quite a long way at the back
04:40at the moment. Someone's gone through the chicane and the distance there, as we see down towards
04:46turn one, an overtake going on. This is Nico Hülkenberg earlier on in the lap. I think that was
04:51Pierre Gasly trying to make an overtake a little bit earlier, and Hülkenberg with the Alpine on his
04:56right-hand side, forced off into the grass. That would have been Colopinto that he was battling with.
05:02Antonelli trying to get back on terms with his teammate, George Russell. The stewards are going to have a look
05:08at
05:08Lance Stroll for a starting procedure infringement. Now that could have been the work on the grid or not
05:13getting to the pit lane exit line in time. We'll keep you up to date with that as we get
05:19more info. Perez up to 13th on those soft tyres.
05:22It might only be eight and then seven points for first and second, but that'll be a swap around of
05:28two between
05:29Russell and Antonelli. Every point is going to matter in this World Championship.
05:33It's about George Russell making up for Miami with a perfect race weekend. It's about Antonelli
05:40keeping up his momentum. They are the two out in front in the World Championship, and it's half a second
05:47between the two Mercedes, and they are now two and a half seconds clear of Lando Norris in third. Then
05:53Hamilton still, then Piastri, and Antonelli once again towards the end of the lap closing in on George Russell.
06:00He's getting a nice slipstream from George Russell ahead of him is Kimi Antonelli, but also then he will be
06:07into the overtake zone. That means he can keep top speed longer and harvest another half a megajoule of power.
06:16So, and Russell out front, punching a lovely hole in the air. So unless it's hurting Antonelli's tyres, he can
06:22just sit there.
06:23Absolutely. You see the harvesting that's going on as the brakes are applied into the chicane on George Russell's
06:30Mercedes. Same going on with Kimi Antonelli. And with that extra half a megajoule, what can he do?
06:36Down the back straight this time around to try and get on terms with his teammates. Needs a decent exit.
06:43Not too much wheel spin. Now he can pick up the slipstream and the toe and use a little bit
06:48more battery boost.
06:49Meanwhile, Hülkenberg gaining on Fernando Alonso just ahead of him. Alonso up into a 14th. The active aero on both.
06:56Mercedes cars slam shut and they take that corner still with Russell in the lead.
07:01Yeah, Mercedes are miles quicker than the rest of the pack when you look at it in Formula One terms.
07:06We're talking four, three, four tenths of a second per lap at this phase.
07:11Nico Hülkenberg picks off his man, takes Fernando Alonso before they get into that final chicane.
07:18New Audi engine for this year, new Honda engine for this year and the Audi power accelerating Hülkenberg past.
07:24A very good getaway there, Martin, from George Russell.
07:27What a turnaround. Russell had the best start of anybody in the top ten there.
07:32Antonelli for one moment thought he might have been a bit under pressure.
07:36Certainly Lando Norris was under pressure and very much Oscar Piastri as Hamilton swoops past.
07:41Yeah, Hamilton knew where to place his car. He's been around here enough times we're now going to see that.
07:47So yeah, they get away. They're really fine tuning this. They're almost in unison, weren't they?
07:52So now Hamilton's got the inside line for one.
07:55I was then able to try to overlap Norris and get good drive because he ends up on the outside
08:01of turn three and that's enough for better traction and a position.
08:05On board with Alex Albon further down the pecking order.
08:10Car ahead of him is Valtteri Bottas in the Cadillac and he isn't ahead for very much longer.
08:15That is a neat move there by Alex Albon as they cross the line.
08:19The front two separated by four tenths of a second and the advantage now three seconds from Antonelli to Norris.
08:26This Mercedes upgrade that's been super powerful, hasn't it?
08:29There's still three, three, four tenths of a second faster than a gapping the pack.
08:35That's immense. But Antonelli is not going to make it easy for Russell.
08:39If he breezes past, you've almost got to, you've always want to be second going into the last lap.
08:45We'll see how this plays out.
08:47If they're going to start leapfrogging each other.
08:49But at the moment, George Russell desperately trying to hang on to that lead.
08:53It could be a bit cat and mouse.
08:56Liam Lawson has picked off Fernando Alonso.
08:58Isaac Hadjar kind of on his own now in 11th place.
09:03Ah, engine problem.
09:06And I didn't want to say...
09:08I didn't want to say too much too soon, but he's definitely lost touch with those ahead of him.
09:13Keep an eye on this because Russell was a little bit wide in the hairpin.
09:16That makes you slow off the corner.
09:18And it's put Antonelli right onto his gearbox.
09:20It's as close as Antonelli has been in this race so far.
09:23And he pulls out to try and go wheel to wheel through that chicane.
09:26George Russell manages to fend him off.
09:28But can he fend him off now down this main straight?
09:31And this could be a perfect opportunity for Antonelli to try and strike into the first corner we go.
09:36And on the inside, Antonelli gets ahead.
09:39Forces and now goes off the track.
09:43George Russell manages to keep that lead.
09:45But that was to Mercedes getting way too close for comfort as far as the team are concerned.
09:51Yeah, great racing.
09:53Russell read it beautifully because he just hit the brakes and then ducked underneath.
09:59And it was so important otherwise they'd have made contact.
10:01But, so yeah, this is the point I was trying to make.
10:03You might be better in second place towards the end of this race.
10:06So here's Antonelli now.
10:09Was looking at the inside.
10:10Switches to the outside.
10:11And then has to go and go off.
10:14And off again Antonelli.
10:15And that one was an awful lot worse and a lot bumpier.
10:18And that's going to slow him down.
10:20And he's going to lose the place to Lando Norris.
10:22And the skirmish is going on.
10:24And that has really affected Kimi Antonelli's race.
10:27Don't worry about it.
10:28He's not a happy boy at all with his teammate George Russell who continues to lead.
10:33But now from Lando Norris.
10:34Lewis Hamilton still ahead of Piastri.
10:37And trying to gain on Kimi Antonelli.
10:39Well, we've just witnessed it.
10:40We've all just witnessed the beginning of a whole new phase at Mercedes-Benz Formula One.
10:45That's the muscles of Russell's.
10:47And the elbows very much being got out here in Montreal.
10:51Russell leads lap 7 of 23.
10:54And they were just unwrapping the tyres there.
10:58Just in case there was a puncture or something wrong on Kimi Antonelli's car.
11:03Or if he's damaged the nose or whatever.
11:05Now Antonelli is under pressure from Lewis Hamilton as well.
11:10So we haven't seen the incident yet.
11:12I'm going to assume George gave him a fairly big squeeze.
11:15Heading down there into Turn 8.
11:18Mercedes famous for allowing both drivers to race.
11:23That's going to be a penalty alongside the mirror.
11:27So let's just keep it cool.
11:28Who's going to protest that one?
11:31Is one side of the garage going to say to the race director,
11:34come on, that needs to be a penalty?
11:35That's the criteria if you're alongside the mirror with your front axle.
11:40That's when you're on the inside.
11:42When you're on the outside, you have to have your front axles in line.
11:46Your front tyres in line.
11:48We don't know whether it was an inside or an outside yet, do we?
11:51Because we haven't seen it.
11:54Under investigation, Lance Stroll for that starting procedure infringement.
11:58Let's just get this back under control, Kimi.
12:01Focus on Norris.
12:02Focus on the driving.
12:04Under guidance, Kimi Antonelli and getting a little bit more irritated.
12:09Kimi Antonelli, Colopinto gets ahead of Carlos Sainz.
12:12Gasly ahead of Fernando Alonso.
12:14Yeah, Antonelli will get out of the car and realise he's making a mistake here.
12:19Pete Bonington, with all of his wisdom, is desperately trying to calm him down.
12:23Get him refocused on the job because if you drive angry,
12:27you're more likely to go sideways or backwards than you are forwards.
12:31It never makes you go forwards more quickly if you're driving angry.
12:36Kimi, concentrate on the driving, please, and not on the radio morning.
12:39Wow.
12:40Toto Wolff getting involved on lap eight here to keep his young charge.
12:44Just a little bit cooler than he is at the moment.
12:48Yeah.
12:48They realise he was spiralling there.
12:51And he's a teenager at the end of the day.
12:54And not that teenagers spiral, but, you know,
12:56he's under an immense amount of pressure.
12:59Driving this formula.
12:59He's leading the world championship.
13:01And his head just spiralled for a moment.
13:04Let's have a little look.
13:05Turn one.
13:06Antonelli tries to go around the outside.
13:08He's not given any room by George Russell.
13:10I don't think he was alongside him enough to warrant that room there.
13:14But this next one.
13:15Whoa.
13:16He was arriving hot into the scene of this chicane.
13:20Well, that looks to me like he just outbraked himself.
13:23But so we need to see an off-board angle there.
13:27It's really hard from that.
13:28Isaac Hadja out of the race.
13:30We heard engine problems and the loss of power.
13:32And he's been retired by Red Bull from this sprint race,
13:36which is hotting up rather nicely.
13:38Because now Lando Norris is in second place.
13:42That McLaren seems to be coming alive a little bit.
13:44George Russell, who might have thought,
13:45I could just pull away here because it's not my teammate behind me,
13:48might have to think again.
13:50No further action.
13:51Stewards against Lance Stroll.
13:53Lando Norris keeping within a second of George Russell.
13:57Yes, so Mercedes then been heating up.
14:02You can use the brake.
14:03You can use devices to heat the front tires.
14:06And is that going to start hurting them in the second phase?
14:09Because yes, that four tenths advantage we kept,
14:12I kept talking about, suddenly has evaporated.
14:15Karun.
14:16They're telling George that the front tire temperatures are still too cold.
14:20He's not got enough front temperature, Martin.
14:23And that's why he's struggling with front grip.
14:25Lando, in the meanwhile, has been given really good advice
14:28in terms of the energy deployment in overtaking more by Will Joseph.
14:32And Lewis Hamilton is now gaining on Kimi Antonelli.
14:36He's taken a few car lengths out of Antonelli's advantage on the last lap.
14:40And he might just for one second have thought,
14:42I could lunge down the inside here, thought better of it.
14:46But look at the way that Mercedes is squirrelling around,
14:49trying to get under traction.
14:51Yeah, they've really hurt these tires,
14:52these medium compound tires,
14:54with whatever strategy they've got on them,
14:56because they're fading quickly.
14:57They certainly are.
14:58Liam Lawson, meanwhile, has Nico Hülkenberg in his sights,
15:02as he tries to make his move up into 12th.
15:05Franco Colopinto is in ninth,
15:07just behind Arvid Lindblad on the hard tire.
15:09That's Hamilton going off into the dirt a little bit, by the way.
15:11Lindblad is the final points place at the moment.
15:15Bestaffin ahead of him.
15:16Leclerc ahead of him.
15:17Piastri ahead of him.
15:18They're not really in contention.
15:19But Hamilton's right on the back of Antonelli
15:21for a third-place finish, maybe.
15:23And Lando Norris is very much keeping George Russell honest here,
15:27as Isaac Hadjar comes back out into the race again.
15:31So whatever they found with the engine,
15:35a quick control or delete might have sorted the problem.
15:37Yeah, sensor issue or something they were able to bypass.
15:42Anyway, he's back in the race.
15:43They'll be able to learn something for qualifying
15:47and tomorrow's Grand Prix, of course.
15:49Lewis is really alive.
15:50We talked about it yesterday.
15:51He said, this is the best I've felt for a while in a car.
15:54He really is flourishing around here and in that Ferrari this weekend.
16:00I mean, he just really looks happy and on top,
16:02and he's pushing the limits, kicking up the dust,
16:04cars moving around, and he's just pinning it.
16:07Well, maybe that lack of simulator preparation
16:12has rejuvenated Lewis Hamilton somewhat.
16:15An awful lot going on here in this race,
16:18a lot centred around Kimi Antonelli.
16:21I wonder, did he think George Russell was a bit too naughty at Turn 1?
16:25Yeah.
16:26That's when he lost his head,
16:27and that's when he arrived steaming into the chicane a bit later on.
16:31Possibly, because on the outside of Turn 1,
16:34he needed to have his front wheel alongside.
16:36Yeah.
16:36It was not his mirror.
16:37And George then was not obliged to give him racing room.
16:42Certainly from the angle we saw, that was the case.
16:46Lewis Hamilton taking a very different line around the hairpin there
16:50than we've seen so far this weekend from him.
16:52Now, this is interesting with regard to tomorrow's race,
16:54because it does seem on the longer runs
16:57that McLaren are very fast.
17:00They're very balanced around.
17:02We've seen that in terms of where they deliver their lap time.
17:05Because suddenly, both the McLarens are coming alive a little bit.
17:09But Antonelli now, new fastest race, lap of the race two.
17:13And look how, with overtake mode available,
17:16Lando Norris is still keeping within a few car lengths of George Russell.
17:20Quickly down to the pit wall, Bernie Collins.
17:23Yes, Crofty, I was just going to pick up on that,
17:25that I think the delta between the two Mercedes,
17:27when Kimi Antonelli had overtake mode,
17:29he was sort of 25 kph faster than Russell down that back straight.
17:33Now Norris, the advantage is only around 15,
17:36so is that enough for him to do something down that back straight,
17:40but able to keep up, like you say?
17:42And Hadjo's engine does seem to be working much better now
17:44after leaving the pit lane.
17:45Looked to me like he wasn't getting any battery deployment before he came in.
17:49Delta being the difference,
17:50but Russell did a 1.49 on the previous lap.
17:54That was right back to P7
17:57before you find somebody going as slow as that, relatively speaking.
18:01So whether he made a mistake, I don't know,
18:04but it's brought Norris right into play.
18:06And Kimi Antonelli with the fastest lap of the race
18:08is slowly but surely edging his way back into contention too.
18:13And he's only one and a half seconds behind his teammate
18:15with Lando Norris stuck in the middle in the McLaren.
18:19We've finished lap 12, we start lap 13.
18:22George Russell leads by 3 tenths of a second as they cross the line.
18:25Now Russell, a 15-0,
18:27and that means that Norris behind him was nailed onto a 15-0.
18:30Russell is struggling from raw pace out front now.
18:33All of that early speed has evaporated.
18:36They're using something too hard or not hard enough.
18:38We'll find out afterwards.
18:40But that is going to bring Antonelli, Hamilton, and Piastri right into the action.
18:45Monitoring tyres at race control, Karun Chandog.
18:47Yeah, Russell could play about graining on the rear left.
18:50There's a, you can see, you can see the band on the tyre there,
18:54on the inside shoulder.
18:56They've just had a bit of chat on the radio about that.
18:58So he is struggling with front grip, with cooler temperatures.
19:03They haven't really got the target right, but also with that rear graining.
19:06And track temperature round about 14 degrees, I think, cooler than it was yesterday for qualifying.
19:12And it might change around again tomorrow with the rain expected to come into Montreal.
19:17There's the top three.
19:19Russell Norris, Antonelli separated by 1.7 seconds.
19:22Russell got a really good drive, really good traction out of the hairpin that time.
19:26He's obviously starting to manage whatever his problems are better.
19:30He's understanding what he's got to do.
19:32But let's see what this lap time is as they come over the line.
19:35It's a 14.8, 14.8, Antonelli 14.9 behind them.
19:40So they're yo-yoing around a little bit.
19:41And you just sense that Russell's hanging on to the lead here rather than dominating it.
19:46If they've got any sense, they'll give him as much boost as they possibly can
19:50down that long back straight to protect him.
19:53And then say, George, it's up to your skill to try and protect yourself elsewhere on the lap.
19:58Meanwhile, while all that's happening, Charles Leclerc in the last couple of laps
20:02has been gaining on Oscar Piastri in the battle for fifth place.
20:05And Piastri might find himself under a bit of pressure soon, too, in the other McLaren.
20:09Max Verstappen, couple of tenths off the pace.
20:12And a penny for Andrea Stella's thoughts here.
20:14I'm sure he's enjoying it.
20:16And I'm sure he's enjoying seeing his team become a little bit more competitive today.
20:20against Mercedes than they were yesterday.
20:23But he knows that one of his drivers, if not both here, are going to be under pressure
20:26defending soon the places they currently occupy, which is second and fifth.
20:32Yeah, George Russell could well do with his teammate to come along
20:35and start attacking Lando Norris, couldn't he?
20:38Because Norris is right in there and looking.
20:40You sense that if Norris didn't have the Mercedes in the way,
20:44he'd be lapping quite a bit faster.
20:45But he can't clear it.
20:48And Russell driving very defensively out front.
20:51Michael Hulkenberg, by the way, down in, where is he, 15th,
20:55has been noted for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.
20:59Russell's advantage, one second as he crossed the line.
21:02That could be important here.
21:04If Lando can't stay within one second, he loses that overtake mode.
21:08That's not going to help his chances defending against Kimi Antonelli,
21:12who put in a lap, that previous lap, that was 7 tenths of a second faster
21:17than Lando Norris managed.
21:19Gasly's gaining on Hulkenberg down the back straights.
21:22And Hulkenberg is being investigated for that, leaving the track and gaining an advantage.
21:29Russell's beginning to really learn well how to manage whatever problems were facing him.
21:35And it's also stabilising a bit now, isn't it, in the top three.
21:39This is where Russell, if he has got damage to his rear tyre,
21:42he's a little bit wider than he has been in the previous couple of laps.
21:46So let's see what happens there is into the pits.
21:49Comes car number 23, Alex Albon, for a change of tyres.
21:52Soft tyres going on and they're using this as a test session.
21:55Are Williams, Russell, Norris, Antonelli separated by roundabout a second into the chicane.
22:01Hamilton, Piastri, Leclerc separated by about the same one second.
22:05The battle for the top three and the battle before five and six,
22:08as close as you would love it here in Montreal.
22:11And Hamilton had to get a little bit defensive there against Piastri into the final chicane.
22:16Best form of defence, Martin.
22:17Attack, that's what they always say.
22:19Caroon at race control.
22:21Keep an eye on Norris, Broccoli, the next couple of laps.
22:24They've given him some changes in terms of the energy strategy and said,
22:27we're going to use the opportunity to boost out of turn ten when it matters.
22:31So just keep an eye.
22:33Maybe he's just topping up the pack for a couple of laps and then attacking at a key moment.
22:38Lewis Hamilton kicking up the dust once again and using the extremities of the track to his advantage.
22:46Piastri has just dropped back a little bit behind Hamilton on this particular lap.
22:51We've only got about seven laps to go of this sprint race, which is absorbing
22:56and could yet build up into a grandstand finish with plenty of action so far, if not masses amount of
23:03overtaking.
23:04At Russell's advantage, eight tenths of a second currently.
23:07Same eight tenths between Norris and Antonelli as Fernando Alonso comes into the pits for a change of tyres.
23:14I would imagine, and he's back out again.
23:18So they're just coming up to lap Alex Albon, aren't they?
23:22Who's out on those soft compound tyres in his Williams.
23:25He will be obliged to move out of the way, but such a tight confines, for example, through turn four,
23:31six and seven.
23:32It's not actually that easy to get out of the way here now.
23:35So it's normally the leader who suffers most in this situation where they come along and sort of have to
23:41move out of the way,
23:42wake up anybody they're going to lap.
23:45Sergio Perez running 12th for Cadillac, which will be their best finish of the season in any format if he
23:50can hold on to that.
23:51But he's got Liam Lawson right behind him. Lawson, who could have started from the pit lane, didn't take part
23:56in qualifying.
23:57Started from the grid and went from plumb last to 18th before or 17th before he even turned a wheel.
24:04And elsewhere, a few pit stops affecting the lower order, but Lawson's still on the charge.
24:10And George Russell has led this race at the outset and has been under pressure more than I think he
24:17would have expected.
24:18First from Kimi Antonelli, now from Lando Norris, Alex Albon is looking in his mirrors and thinking,
24:24right, when do I keep out of the way here?
24:25And they didn't quite catch the back marker before that chicane,
24:29which will be good news if you're Lando Norris and not so good news, I think, if you're George Russell.
24:36Yeah, I don't think Alex was unduly kind there, to be honest.
24:40I think he could have eased off down that halfway down that straight and let them through.
24:44But that's packed them up a little bit closer, hasn't it?
24:48It certainly has. Just by a couple of tenths of a second, couple of car lengths as well, makes a
24:53huge difference.
24:54Another pit stop for Fernando Alonso. They're curing the tyres down at Aston Martin, getting them ready for qualifying later.
25:02Putting a heat cycle through them, which they think makes the tyres a bit more robust when it comes to
25:06qualifying.
25:07Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri trying to gain on Lewis Hamilton. Charles Leclerc dropped back a bit behind Piastri.
25:14Points, by the way, down to eighth here. Arvid Limblad about to pick up a point.
25:18If Franco Colopinto can't catch him and Colopinto is faster on the track.
25:22This is frantic up front now. They're really pushing the limits.
25:25George there was wildly sliding sideways coming out of turn eight.
25:30And there, this is, these points, as I said earlier on, these points are critical for this world championship.
25:37And Lando, desperately trying to recover his season a bit too, is right in there.
25:41This bodes so well for tomorrow's Grand Prix.
25:44Absolutely. Tyres cured. Fernando Alonso's in the garage.
25:47There's George Russell. Crossed the line. His advantage half a second over Lando Norris.
25:52Half a second back to Kimi Antonelli, the championship leader.
25:55He's going to lose a couple of points at this rate to his teammate.
26:00But does he save everything? You know, it used to be last lap Lando.
26:04Is it last lap Antonelli as far as we're concerned here in Montreal?
26:09Has Lando Norris got anything up his sleeve to put George Russell under pressure?
26:14Can Russell hang on for what would be a second consecutive win here on the Ile Notre Dame?
26:20All to play for in the top three who are separated by 1.1 second as they cross the line
26:27to end lap 18.
26:29Top six are all lapping pretty much identical times around the 1.15-0.
26:35But in clear air again, now that George Russell has navigated past the Williams of Alex Albon,
26:43he's just eking out a little bit more of a gap again.
26:47Max Verstappen's been noted for a yellow flag infringement down at turn two.
26:51That might be being looked at by the stewards in a moment.
26:54We'll keep you noted.
26:56Bearman's into the pits.
26:58There go our top three and closely followed by four, five and six as well, having their own epic scrap.
27:04Normally we'd be featuring that at this stage of the race.
27:07But the top three are so close, you can't turn away from this, can you?
27:11George Russell actually pulled out an advantage by a couple of tenths over Lando Norris on lap 19.
27:19Kimi Antonelli was about a tenth of a second faster.
27:23Is there a way through for Antonelli to make it a Mercedes 1-2?
27:28If Russell gets more than a second ahead of Norris going into the final chicane, Norris drops out of the
27:33overtake.
27:34But Antonelli will still have it.
27:36Yeah.
27:36And so as Helkenberg gets a ten second penalty for leaving the track for gaining an advantage earlier on in
27:44the race.
27:45So it's critical for Norris to stay within a second of Russell here.
27:49Otherwise, he really will find himself under pressure in the closing stages.
27:53Now, Valtteri Bottas backmarker.
27:56Lance Stroll ahead of him.
27:57Gasly comes into the pits.
28:00I don't know why we're necessarily watching Gasly in the pits here,
28:03because down that back straight, there go our top three.
28:06That's a bit more like it.
28:07Bottas does keep out of the way.
28:09Stroll though still ahead as a backmarker on the track from our race leader.
28:13You don't often get backmarkers in sprint races, but we had so many starting from the pit lane.
28:18I'm not surprised today.
28:20Oh, and that was Lewis Hamilton ahead of Oscar Piastri getting very, very close.
28:34But the suspension is pretty robust.
28:36You should be all right doing that.
28:38He hasn't lost any time in the first sector to Piastri on this lap.
28:43He lost a tenth in the middle sector, Lewis Hamilton, on this lap.
28:47We can ride on board with Oscar Piastri, and we can keep tabs on the top three as through they
28:53go once again.
28:54Past that wall of champions, no further investigation.
28:57Max Verstappen, who's down in seventh place and picking up a couple of points.
29:01Started seventh, about to finish seventh.
29:02Hamilton says the car looks good.
29:04He needs to look at his mirrors too, because here comes Oscar Piastri down towards turn one.
29:09And the McLaren right behind the Ferrari here.
29:13This is going to be one hell of a last lap.
29:17It's been great, hasn't it?
29:20It's been real. First time we've had a sprint race here in Canada.
29:23And it's certainly in the top ten.
29:25I mean, the second half the field are using it for tyre practice and all sorts of things,
29:30but because they know they're not going to get any points in the top eight.
29:34But this lot have been going at it flat out from the first corner, haven't they?
29:39And as I said, this bodes really well for tomorrow's race.
29:43So down to the hairpin once more.
29:46Brainy issues on George Russell's car.
29:49Lando locked up on the way in.
29:50He did.
29:51That's put him under pressure.
29:52Put him under pressure from the other Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli.
29:56And look now how Antonelli is gaining on Norris down that back straight.
30:00He wants that DRS.
30:01Now he's got electrical power to try and get him on turns.
30:04And he goes through that final chicane about two car lengths behind.
30:08Lando might just have gone away with that lockup, that slight lockup into the hairpin.
30:13But it has certainly cost him in terms of trying to get into the lead.
30:17As Antonelli makes the move, but overshoots the corner.
30:20He'll have to give the place back.
30:22Piastri overtook Hamilton as well in all of this.
30:25But, yeah, he has to give that place back.
30:27Antonelli has given that place back.
30:29And Piastri up to fourth.
30:31So, Antonelli went for it into the first corner as we started the final lap.
30:36And once again pays the price by being a little bit too hot going into the turn.
30:40Piastri is not just ahead of Hamilton.
30:43He's ahead of Leclerc as well.
30:45Meanwhile, Lawson and Perez are under investigation for forcing a driver off the track.
30:51And George Russell now leads by about a second and a half approaching the hairpin.
30:55For once, he might be able to breathe a bit more easily down the back straight.
30:59Yeah, and whatever happened with Piastri and Hamilton, Leclerc got through as well to take P5.
31:04That's why that positioning is as it is at the moment.
31:08So, George Russell, wow, has he had a race here.
31:11Starting from pole, thinking, right, now's my opportunity to make a mark here.
31:16My teammates had all the momentum recently in this sprint race.
31:20I'm going to make it mine.
31:21And he has made it his.
31:22George Russell for the second year here in Montreal crosses the line, reaches the flag and wins.
31:28This time it is the sprint.
31:31Lando Norris ahead of Kimi Antonelli to take second place with Antonelli third.
31:35And then Piastri to the line under pressure from Charles Leclerc.
31:39And just a car length in it as he takes fourth ahead of Leclerc in fifth and Hamilton in sixth.
31:45Verstappen will finish seventh.
31:47Lawson still pushing hard behind Sergio Perez, who's up in 11th place at the moment.
31:52It's been a great race for Sergio Perez.
31:54Arvid Limblad has just crossed the line now to take the final points position.
32:00Then Franco Colopinto and Carlos Sainz, who completes a top ten finish.
32:05Under investigation, as I said, Perez and Lawson.
32:09There is the racing ball of Liam Lawson.
32:13Behind him, Bortoleto and Hülkenberg.
32:15And he's under investigation, Hülkenberg, as well.
32:18So they're going to race right to the finish here.
32:21Perez to cross the line for Cadillac.
32:23That's a super 11th place for the new team in Formula One.
32:27Lawson finishes 12th.
32:29Bortoleto, Hülkenberg.
32:30Then will come Ocon, ahead of Hülkenberg, who's got that penalty.
32:34Stroll and Bottas.
32:35Behrman and Albon.
32:36Gasly, Hadjar and Alonso, who was out.
32:39Nice work, mate.
32:40Good job.
32:41And it was quick there.
32:44Yeah, good job.
32:47Right.
32:48He's got his gloves on in the car, Martin.
32:50Gloves off at Mercedes in terms of the battle.
32:54Yeah, it was going to happen, wasn't it?
32:55Inevitable.
32:57But Kimi had too many adventures in that race.
33:01And lost his head a little bit.
33:02He'll learn from that.
33:03And he'll learn quickly.
33:04That's what we're finding out with that young man.
33:08Kimi, let's check his flag.
33:10Yeah, if we need to race like this, then good enough.
33:13Kimi, now it's the first time to talk about this.
33:16We talk about this internally and not on the radio, OK?
33:20And we didn't hear the reply from Kimi Antonella.
33:24That's still fuming.
33:25Yeah, he's still fuming.
33:26Toto, I think, is angered by the reaction
33:30and probably angered by what he saw on track as well.
33:33Yeah.
33:34So it's interesting that the headmaster has had to step in there,
33:38isn't it?
33:39Because Bono was very much trying to calm him down, too.
33:42But finally, the same, the boss has come on the radio going,
33:46stop, stop this.
33:48It's not going to work.
33:51We'll get a replay.
33:53So what happened with him down into the turn eight and nine hairpin
33:59when it all went wrong,
34:02when Antonelli went steaming down the inside and locked a break.
34:06So the comment about I was alongside his mirror was played in later.
34:10That's not what, turn eight, you've alluded to that.
34:13Yeah.
34:13It's not, that was from the turn one incident he was talking about,
34:16that I was alongside his mirror.
34:18But as I say, if you're going around the outside,
34:20you've got to have your front wheels in line with theirs.
34:23Just to tidy up something that's just come through,
34:26Sergio Perez finished 11th on the road.
34:28He's classified 14th.
34:30He got a 10-second time penalty for forcing another driver off the track.
34:34But for the third time in a sprint,
34:37George Russell climbs out of his cockpit as a winner.
34:42Top scorer in sprints this season.
34:44One more point than Lando Norris, the runner-up today.
34:47Norris moves into fourth place in the Drivers' Championship.
34:51He's tied on points now.
34:52Sorry, was tied on points with Lewis Hamilton.
34:55And a 12th top three sprint finish of all time for Lando Norris.
35:01Second behind Max Verstappen, who finished in seventh place in today's race.
35:08George Russell then gets the congratulations from his side of the garage.
35:17He's part of the team waiting for him there.
35:21And it's going to be very interesting to hear the thoughts of the drivers after that sprint race.
35:29First top three finish, by the way, for Kimi Antonelli in a sprint this season.
35:36Now, there's a handshake.
35:39A brief handshake.
35:41And congratulations.
35:43Nothing more than that.
35:44I've just been looking through some of these incidents with Sky here,
35:47Carina at SkyRage Control.
35:50Yeah, there is a moment where Antonelli,
35:52he talked about his mirror, but actually his front axle was ahead.
35:55It looks like at the apex.
35:57At turn one?
35:58It's very transient.
35:59At turn one.
36:00It's a very transient moment.
36:02At a little specific moment in time.
36:05But when the driver on the inside is that committed,
36:08you can't just suddenly magic up some racing room either on the outside.
36:12But I can see more now, just watching that frame by frame,
36:17why Kimi felt he was down the...
36:20He was entitled to some racing room.
36:23It's not this incident we're looking at.
36:25No, that was Antonelli making the move on Lando Norris.
36:28I wonder if we're going to see something at turn 13 at the moment involving Lewis Hamilton.
36:32Park that thought for a couple of seconds as we watch another replay here.
36:37He was ahead, but he was never making the corner at that time.
36:41And I think Lando was still giving him a little bit of space.
36:44George didn't give Kimi Antonelli space, did he, at turn one?
36:48But maybe thought he didn't have to.
36:49This is the Lewis Hamilton incident with Oscar Piastri.
36:55As Oscar Piastri got past, and you can see where Hamilton gets squeezed there,
37:00and how Charles Leclerc manages to get past.
37:03But Lewis is also being investigated for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.
37:08Julian Palmer's got the mic in his hand.
37:10Well, what an amazing first-ever sprint race in Montreal, Canada.
37:14What a race, guys.
37:15Joined here with the top three.
37:17George Russell, your winner.
37:19But what battles all the way through.
37:21I mean, we've got all of you to talk to here,
37:24but I want to pick out Kimi and George first,
37:26because that was an amazing fight between you.
37:29I know, Kimi, you spoke on the radio a little bit, weren't too happy,
37:32but I want to get both of your points of view on that.
37:34Yeah, it was a tough battle, to be fair.
37:37We were all there in terms of pace.
37:39It was not easy.
37:41Yeah, I tried to make my move, and, yeah, I need to review on that,
37:45because I was quite well alongside, and, yeah, I got pushed off.
37:48But it's what it is.
37:51Then, obviously, I made a mistake into turn eight,
37:54because I took a big bump and then locked up,
37:56and then I kind of compromised my race there.
37:58But it was a good battle.
38:00Okay, well, well done.
38:01You gave us a great bit of entertainment.
38:03If I can flip it over to you then, George.
38:05I mean, a race looking in your mirrors,
38:07you had to absorb so much the whole way through.
38:09But your thoughts on this guy attacking you in those early laps?
38:12Yeah, it was a cool race.
38:14I was just talking with Lando.
38:15It was definitely very difficult to get a gap around here.
38:18It felt quite easy to follow,
38:20and the slipstream was quite powerful with the overtake mode.
38:23And then, yeah, it was a good battle with Kimi,
38:25and, you know, glad we both are standing here after the race.
38:29Yeah, you managed to do the grand star for a few favours.
38:31Mowing the grass around here, Kimi.
38:35Lando, second place.
38:36You managed to be the interloper with this Mercedes party,
38:39and you must be pretty pleased with that,
38:40because the pace looked really good.
38:42Yeah, thanks.
38:43Yeah, it was a good race.
38:45I mean, it was good just to watch them go at it for a little while.
38:47But, of course, we were there to pick up the pieces when things happened,
38:52and they were quick.
38:53I mean, Kimi caught me back up pretty quickly,
38:55and then I was pretty worried from behind,
38:57but also I wanted to try and attack George ahead.
38:59So, it was fun.
39:01Always a tough track to kind of push on and easy to make mistakes,
39:04but today was a good result for us.
39:06Okay, well, congratulations.
39:07We have some awards for you.
39:09So, third place, Kimi, congratulations.
39:13Second place, Lando, congratulations.
39:15There's your award.
39:18George, let's talk about the race win then,
39:19because you really needed this, I feel like.
39:21It's been a difficult time in Miami.
39:23You've been great around this circuit,
39:24and so to stand here as a race winner again,
39:27do you feel like you're back in your happy place?
39:32Never really concerned, to be honest.
39:33It was just, I know Miami's a bit of a bogey track for me,
39:36and, of course, there's been this huge break in the calendar.
39:39So, lots of people with a lot of things to say,
39:42but ultimately just wanted to get back racing,
39:44and it kind of feels like the season's going to really start now
39:46with, I think, six races in eight weeks.
39:48So, just looking forward to getting that groove.
39:50Great to be back here in Montreal,
39:51and amazing fans, as always.
39:53So, thank you so much.
39:54I appreciate that,
39:55and looking forward to this afternoon.
39:57And for your award,
39:58we can go from one race winner to another race winner,
40:01Canadian Grand Prix winner in 1995,
40:03Jean Alessi, to present the award to George Russell.
40:06And some photos, please, with the top three.
40:10And with that,
40:11whilst they can turn their attention to qualifying later on,
40:13we can as well.
40:14It's going to be great action in just a couple of hours' time.
40:17You don't want to miss it.
40:18.
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