MONTREAL — George Russell resisted incredible pressure to hold on to the lead of the Canada Sprint, beating Lando Norris and a fiery Kimi Antonelli to victory after clashing with his Mercedes teammate.
For the first time this season, Russell and Antonelli held position on the opening lap, but it was far from a straightforward win for the Briton. He endured a tight battle with the 19-year-old, who repeatedly darted off track and was forced to settle for third place behind a rapid Norris, despite multiple calls for Russell to be penalized after the pair banged wheels and the Italian was pushed onto the grass.
Oscar Piastri was fourth as McLaren enjoyed another successful Sprint, gaining a position from Lewis Hamilton late on, before the Ferrari driver lost another spot to his team mate with Charles Leclerc sealing fifth.
“It was a cool race. I was just talking with Lando, it was definitely very difficult to get a gap around here,” Russell said. “It felt quite easy to follow, the slipstream was quite powerful with the overtake mode and then it was a good battle with Kimi. Glad we’re both standing here after the race.”
