George Russell wins Canadian GP after McLaren collision disaster

George Russell claimed a brilliant Canadian Grand Prix victory that ended under safety car conditions after Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris came to blows.

The Mercedes driver held out from Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli in a race that simmered away for most of the 70-lap before coming to boil in the final 15 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

It made for a tense climax in Montreal, with strategy the key variable in closing the leading group. That precipitated high drama at the constructors' champions.  With three laps to go, the McLarens clashed for the first time.

Norris hit his team-mate on the pit straight whilst fighting for fourth, leading to retirement as the Australian escaped with no damage to his MCL39.

Lewis Hamilton endured a difficult grand prix with an ailing Ferrari as Fernando Alonso and Nico Hulkenberg both secured consecutive points finishes.

Lance Stroll was handed a 10-second time penalty for a clash with Pierre Gasly, making it a home race to forget en route to P18 and last on the road, on account of Alex Albon and Liam Lawson being forced into retirement.

Check out the full Canadian Grand Prix report below.

Opening salvo

Russell led a clean getaway in Montreal, with Verstappen filing in behind, holding Kimi Antonelli and Piastri at bay. The 18-year-old managed to take third from the McLaren driver heading into Turn 3.

Further back, Alex Albon found the grass as the Turn 8 and 9 chicane whilst battling former Williams team-mate Franco Colapinto, dropping to P12 by the end of the first lap as Nico Hulkenberg capitalised and moved up to ninth.

Aside from Piastri losing out to Antonelli, the top eight remained unchanged, with all runners on medium tyres except for Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc on the hard compound.

By lap 5, the leading pair had broken away, with the second Mercedes over two seconds adrift of the Dutchman. It allowed Verstappen to pressure Russell, until the former eased off and DRS was broken as the race settled into a steadier rhythm.

Tyre management was soon the main focus, with Piastri, Leclerc and Verstappen all feeding back how their Pirellis were faring to their respective teams. The general consensus was that neither the medium or hards were good race tyres.

Norris dispensed of Fernando Alonso just before the start of lap 12, whilst Verstappen dived into the pit lane at the end of that lap to switch to the hardest rubber on offer, preventing being overtaken by Antonelli in the process.

Russell promptly responded. He re-emerged in seventh, with Verstappen in ninth behind Hulkenberg. When Antonelli came in the following lap, Piastri was released to put the hammer down.

The Australian pitted at the end of lap 15, leaving Norris and Leclerc on the hard tyres at the front of the field, having not yet stopped.

By lap 20, Russell had closed back up on the leading pair. In the battle for the net race lead, he held a two-second advantage over Verstappen.

In the fight for the lesser points positions, Albon nursed a power unit issue similar to the one that impacted his Spanish Grand Prix. He quickly fell back on aging mediums before pitting for the first time on lap 23. 

Esteban Ocon, Carlos Sainz and Yuki Tsunoda occupied eighth to tenth, but all had yet to come in to stop.

Mid-point

Despite holding steady in seventh, it was confirmed Hamilton had issues of his own, having picked up damage earlier in the race - understood to be on lap 13.

Russell got past Leclerc on lap 26, setting a lap time 1.1 seconds quicker than leader Norris, who was his next target.

It would take Verstappen two more laps to free himself, which only happened due to the Ferrari pitting.

"I don't understand this choice," the Monegasque driver told his team as a second set of hards were strapped to his SF-25, consigning him to a two-stop race.

Norris duly responded, handing the lead back to Russell. It would be mediums for the McLaren, with both the MCL39 and Leclerc coming out ahead of Hamilton and Alonso, the latter of which was still behind Ocon and Sainz.

Leclerc questioned Ferrari over team radio some more, asking why he was boxed to which his "Plan B" strategy was confirmed, even though he had declared a prior preference for "Plan C".

As the 70-lap grand prix approached its mid-way stage, Russell enjoyed a three-second advantage over Verstappen, with a similar gap separating the Red Bull from the Mercedes behind. Piastri was just about staying in touch with Antonelli, at a two-second deficit.

The race moved into its second half with Norris the big winner from the first, going long had moved him to fifth with his team-mate and title rival only fourth and on slower tyres. The Briton was the only driver in the entire field on mediums, as he set fastest lap times.

Verstappen came in for his second stop on lap 37 whilst over five seconds behind Russell. It would be a second set of hards for the four-time F1 drivers' champion.

He came out ahead of Hamilton, who was being told his pace was strong considering the damage sustained to his Ferrari.

Antonelli very nearly overcut Verstappen when he pitted on lap 38, with the two drivers drag racing down to Turn 3. The latter had stopped earlier to cover off the fast-charging former.

In the intra-McLaren squabble, Norris had halved Piastri's lead by lap 42. That would soon become a fight for the current race lead as Russell came in for a second time.

Despite a slow stop, he came out in fourth, behind the papaya pair and Leclerc, though his advantage over Verstappen had been reduced.

Closing stages

As Piastri came in for his second time, just before Norris, Lance Stroll and Pierre Gasly tussled at the Turn 10 hairpin and then into the final chicane.

The Canadian, having just taken P17 from the Alpine, pushed him wide. The race director noted it, before it was upgraded to a stewards' investigation. Meanwhile, Liam Lawson was noted for ignoring blue flags.

As the Aston Martin driver was handed down a 10-second time penalty, Albon pulled off at the hairpin and into retirement due to a power unit issue. However, as it was in a safe place, it was only a short-lived yellow flag and nothing more race-altering.

The incidents were starting to come thick and fast by lap 50, with Isack Hadjar and Ollie Bearman also noted for a moment at the final chicane.

Up front, Leclerc still led having only stopped once. Russell in second only held a two-and-a-half second advantage over Verstappen as Norris continued to set fastest laps from P6 and four seconds behind his team-mate.

Whilst Bearman and Hadjar escaped further investigation, the other Racing Bulls was told to pit to retire his car.

The fight for victory hotted up as the race approached the final 15 laps, as the leading five closed up and proceedings became more frenetic again.

By lap 60, Russell's lead was under two seconds, but fewer than six separated the top five. As Piastri encountered traffic as difficult points of the track on multiple occasions, Norris moved into DRS range, setting up an intriguing end to the grand prix.

A brilliant battle between Norris and Piastri came to blows at the start of lap 67. The former tried to find a gap that was not there on the pit straight, hitting the back of the leading McLaren. He hit the wall and was out. Norris promptly took responsibility, saying it was his fault and apologising to the team.

Piastri was able to continue. Multiple cars came in to pit under the subsequent safety car conditions. It would finish with under safety car conditions with Russell winning from Verstappen and Antonelli, who claimed a first podium finish in F1.