The F1 Show, Canadian GP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oShZZI_iA2o

In this episode, Drew and Zac run through the key moments on track, from the early exchanges to the incidents that shaped the final result. There is a fair bit of time spent on the retirements and penalties that changed the weekend for several drivers, with the pair not shying away from describing one particular retirement as nothing short of a complete catastrophe for the team involved. And of course we give props to the amazing achievement of Kimi Antonelli being the youngest ever driver to score 5 wins on the bounce!

George Russell’s weekend is a significant talking point. His visible frustration and what followed with the FIA sparked a broader discussion about how drivers are expected to conduct themselves and whether the response from the stewards was proportionate. Zac and Drew compare his situation to that of Kimi Antonelli, whose own Canada weekend gave a lot of people reason to pay closer attention to the young Mercedes driver.

Hamilton’s podium gets the extended treatment it deserves. It had been a while coming, and both hosts reflect on what it means at this stage of his career with Ferrari and what it might signal for the rest of the season. Leclerc’s struggles meanwhile paint a very different picture at Maranello, and that contrast leads into a detailed Monaco preview.

McLaren’s weekend is one the team will want to forget quickly. Drew and Zac go through what went wrong and what it means for Piastri, whose future within the team and within the sport more broadly gets a decent chunk of discussion. Verstappen’s growing dissatisfaction with the direction of the regulations also comes up, and it is a conversation worth listening to if you have been following that storyline through the season.

The episode closes on a moment that had nothing to do with the drivers or the teams. A safety marshal showed real courage during the race weekend, and Drew and Zac made sure to give it the recognition it deserved.

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Race Review: F1 Canadian GP 2026

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montréal  ·  24 May 2026  ·  Round 5 of 24

1st  Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)    2nd  Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)    3rd  Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

There was a real sense before lights out on this years F1 Canadian GP, that this one could go several different ways. Rain had fallen through the morning and the sky stayed threatening, which meant the tyre call at the start was going to define a lot of races before the first corner was even reached. Most of the field opted for slicks and took a calculated punt that the surface would dry quickly. McLaren chose differently, putting both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri on intermediates. It was a decision that would unravel within the opening two laps and effectively end their afternoon before it had properly begun.

Norris launched brilliantly off the line and grabbed the lead into Turn 1, with Antonelli sliding through to second past polesitter Russell. But as the extra formation laps had used up any residual grip in the grooved tyres, both McLarens found themselves pitting almost immediately for slicks. Piastri came in at the end of lap one, Norris a lap later, and just like that the two title contenders from 2025 were buried in the midfield with nowhere near enough laps to recover.

With the McLarens out of the picture, the race became a straight fight between the two Mercedes drivers, and what a fight it was. Russell and Antonelli traded the lead repeatedly across the opening 30 laps in the kind of wheel-to-wheel battle that had fans watching through their fingers. The pair made minor contact at the final chicane on lap 24, with Antonelli briefly getting past before being asked by the team to hand the place back. At one point Antonelli was inches from running into the back of his teammate. It was breathless, occasionally contentious, and exactly the sort of battle F1 needed.

Then, on lap 30, it was over. Russell’s Mercedes developed a sudden power unit failure and coasted to a halt at Turn 9. He climbed out of the car visibly furious, standing trackside watching the season’s pivotal moment slip away from him. He later said he was lost for words. A virtual safety car brought most of the field in for fresh rubber and when the race resumed, Antonelli had a comfortable lead and the race was effectively won. He crossed the line 10.7 seconds clear to seal his fourth consecutive victory and extend his championship advantage to 43 points.

Behind him, the story of the second half was Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion had been working quietly through the field in the Ferrari and, as the race entered its final phase, found himself hunting down Max Verstappen for second. He made the move stick into Turn 1 on lap 62, passing the Red Bull cleanly and holding it to the flag to take his best result so far in Ferrari red. It was a long time coming and it meant a great deal, not just in points terms but in terms of momentum for the Scuderia heading into the European leg of the season.

Verstappen settled for third, his first podium of 2026. It was not a flashy result but it represented genuine progress from Red Bull, who had been struggling to get close to the front in the opening rounds. He was honest about it, acknowledging that Russell’s retirement and McLaren’s strategic misfire had played their part, but also pointing to the fact that Red Bull were now consistently running closer to the front than they had been even a few weeks earlier.

Charles Leclerc had a weekend to forget in the other Ferrari. He described it himself as among the worst of his career, struggling for feeling with the car from the opening practice session through to the final lap of the race. He finished fourth, but over 44 seconds behind Antonelli and having survived a frightening tank-slapper at the chicane late on. Isack Hadjar rounded out the top five for Red Bull despite collecting two penalties during the race, one for an aggressive weave on the straight and one for ignoring yellow flags.

Norris’ race ended in retirement on lap 40 at the hairpin with a suspected gearbox failure, compounding what was already a dismal afternoon. Piastri made it to the finish in eleventh, but only after picking up a front wing and a 10-second penalty for running into the back of Alex Albon at the hairpin. Fernando Alonso disappeared from the race with a seat problem that Aston Martin later suggested may require a design change, while Sergio Perez was extremely fortunate to bring his Cadillac to safety after his front-right suspension gave way at speed. Six drivers did not see the chequered flag in total.

In the midfield, Alpine continued their recent run of form with Franco Colapinto taking sixth for a career-best result, ahead of Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson in seventh and Pierre Gasly in eighth. Carlos Sainz and Oliver Bearman completed the top ten for Williams and Haas respectively.

It was a race that had everything: strategic mayhem, a championship-defining retirement, a veteran finally delivering on his potential with a new team, a youngster cementing his status as the most exciting driver in the sport, and enough incidents across the field to keep analysts busy for a week.

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