McLaren named among Canadian GP losers as Mercedes battle simmers – round-up
Lando Norris took the lead in Montréal, but that was the peak of McLaren's day.
The Canadian Grand Prix has given us lots to talk about, with Kimi Antonelli winning and McLaren being among those to flip a strategic coin and choose incorrectly on Sunday.
The FIA stewards were also busy after the race, with news having emerged of post-race penalties. In the here and now, here is the best of the Canadian Grand Prix analysis from PlanetF1.com’s team, all in one place.
McLaren among Canadian GP losers as Antonelli wins again
Our Winners and Losers were put together by Thomas Maher, with a whole host of storylines up and down the grid in Canada.
In marginal weather conditions, seven drivers opted for intermediate tyres, but a stoppage in the pre-race rain saw that gamble backfire.
No more did it do so than at McLaren, with Lando Norris going on to retire during the race, and Oscar Piastri ended his day outside the points after unceremoniously punting Alex Albon off the road, for which he later apologised.
See how Thomas saw the event below.
Read more: Canadian Grand Prix winners and losers as Russell heartbreak shakes up Mercedes
Mercedes battle begins to simmer as Conclusions offers brevity
Our editor, Mat Coch, wrote our post-race Conclusions from the Canadian Grand Prix, touching on how tensions at Mercedes could yet bubble up as the season goes on at this rate.
Antonelli now holds a sizeable 43-point lead against George Russell, and while we’re barely a quarter of the way through the 2026 campaign, the lack of external competition for now paves the way for an in-team battle which could go the distance.
With further analysis of the 2026 regulations, alleged ‘British bias’ in the media and more, you have responded in numbers to our analysis.
Read more: Canadian GP conclusions: Seeds of Mercedes discontent, British bias, embracing unpredictability
Antonelli handed imperfect score despite Canadian GP victory
Judging by the comment section alone, it’s safe to say some of you were not a fan of how this writer scored some of the drivers’ performances in Montréal on Sunday.
I argued, among other areas, that the two Mercedes drivers’ battle was thrilling in part because of their imperfections while doing so, with both making mistakes to allow the other past at different points.
Of course, we’re all entitled to our opinions, so have your say about how we scored it below.
Read more: Canadian GP driver ratings: Antonelli imperfect in victory as McLaren implodes
Mercedes drivers’ imperfections revealed as telemetry tells all in Montréal
Our data analyst, Uros Radovanovic, peeled through the data so you didn’t have to, to illustrate exactly how Antonelli and Russell’s superb battle played out.
With mistakes from both, it led to a back-and-forth arguably not seen since Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg at the 2014 Bahrain Grand Prix.
Uros has delved into the telemetry to show just what went wrong (and right) for both drivers on Sunday.
Read more: George Russell and Kimi Antonelli errors exposed in gripping Mercedes duel
Nico Hulkenberg handed double FIA punishment after Canadian GP
Oscar Piastri, Isack Hadjar and more were all penalised during the race, but along with Russell receiving a €5000 suspended fine, Nico Hulkenberg was also in the stewards’ line of sight.
He was handed both a suspended stop-and-go penalty and a reprimand for being out of position at the first Safety Car line on the third and final formation lap on Sunday.
Hulkenberg got away slowly the third time around and stayed behind Liam Lawson, starting one place behind him, until they slotted into their correct places on the grid.
The stewards themselves noted this was an “unusual incident” to have taken place, but the Audi driver has been warned of any future offences.
Lawson, for his part, just received a reprimand.
Read more: Nico Hulkenberg hit with double FIA punishment after Canadian Grand Prix breach
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