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Tag: Kimi Antonelli

  • Kimi Antonelli Wins Canadian Grand Prix for Fourth Straight Formula One Victory After George Russell Retires

    Kimi Antonelli Wins Canadian Grand Prix for Fourth Straight Formula One Victory After George Russell Retires

    Kimi Antonelli extended his dominance in the 2026 Formula One season with a dramatic victory at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, securing his fourth consecutive race win after Mercedes teammate George Russell retired due to engine failure.

    In front of nearly 360,000 fans at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, the two Mercedes drivers battled intensely for more than 30 laps, exchanging the lead multiple times in one of the season’s most thrilling races.

    Russell appeared on course for victory after starting from pole position and reclaiming the lead several times during the race. However, disaster struck when his engine failed, forcing the British driver to retire in frustration after an emotional outburst on the track.

    Antonelli capitalized on the setback to cruise to victory ahead of Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari, who overtook Max Verstappen late in the race to secure second place.

    The 19-year-old Italian star joined elite company with four consecutive Formula One victories, becoming one of the few active drivers to achieve the feat alongside Fernando Alonso, Hamilton, and Verstappen.

    Antonelli now leads the Formula One drivers’ standings by 43 points over Russell after five races of the 2026 season.

    Hamilton’s second-place finish marked his best performance since joining Ferrari, while Verstappen earned his first podium finish of the season for Red Bull Racing.

    Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished fourth, followed by Red Bull rookie Isack Hadjar, Alpine’s Franco Colapinto, and Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson.

    The challenging weather conditions added drama to the race, with cool temperatures and light rain creating a slippery track throughout much of the afternoon.

    Lando Norris initially surged into the lead at the start but was later forced to retire because of a gearbox issue. His McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri finished outside the points after a risky tire strategy failed to deliver results.

    Canadian driver Lance Stroll finished 15th after starting from the pit lane, while six drivers failed to complete the race.

    The Canadian Grand Prix was held earlier than usual this year as part of Formula One’s revised calendar aimed at reducing travel demands across the season.

    Formula One now heads to the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix scheduled for June 7.

  • Kimi Antonelli Wins Chinese Grand Prix to Become Second-Youngest F1 Race Winner in History

    Kimi Antonelli Wins Chinese Grand Prix to Become Second-Youngest F1 Race Winner in History

    Kimi Antonelli produced a stunning performance to win the Chinese Grand Prix, becoming the second-youngest race winner in Formula One history at 19 years and 202 days.

    Only Max Verstappen, who won the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix at 18 years and 228 days, has claimed victory at a younger age.

    Antonelli dominated much of the race for Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, leading a commanding one-two finish for the team alongside teammate George Russell, who finished second.

    “I’m speechless. I’m about to cry to be honest. Thank you so much to my team. They helped me to achieve this dream,” Antonelli said after the race. “We are just at the beginning, we keep pushing. George is an incredible driver, very strong on all aspects, so it’s going to take a lot to beat him.”

    Russell’s second-place finish means he retains the early Drivers’ Championship lead, though his advantage has been reduced to just four points over Antonelli.

    Behind the Mercedes duo, Lewis Hamilton secured his first podium since November 2024, finishing third for Scuderia Ferrari after an intense battle with teammate Charles Leclerc, who came home fourth.

    The Ferrari drivers engaged in a dramatic on-track duel throughout the race and came close to contact several times before Hamilton ultimately held the advantage to secure the final podium position.

    The race also saw several dramatic moments before and during the event. Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were unable to start after suffering power unit issues with their McLaren Formula 1 Team cars.

    Defending champion Max Verstappen was running in sixth position before an electrical problem forced the Red Bull Racing driver to retire with 10 laps remaining.

    Further down the order, Oliver Bearman delivered an impressive drive to finish fifth for Haas F1 Team after a fierce midfield battle.

    Pierre Gasly took sixth place for Alpine F1 Team, followed by Liam Lawson in seventh for Racing Bulls.

    Isack Hadjar recovered from an early spin to finish eighth for Red Bull Racing, while Carlos Sainz secured ninth for Williams Racing, narrowly holding off Franco Colapinto, who rounded out the top ten for Alpine.

    Despite the top four drivers finishing in their starting positions, the race was filled with strategy battles and on-track drama. A Safety Car triggered by Lance Stroll’s stricken Aston Martin F1 Team briefly gave Ferrari a chance to challenge Russell during the restart.

    In the end, Antonelli maintained control to secure a historic victory and announce himself as one of Formula One’s brightest rising stars.