F1 Sprint Results and Report at the Canadian Grand Prix 2026

Full report and results from the sprint at the 2026 Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix.

David Kirouac-Imagn Images

George Russell converted pole into a sprint victory at the Canadian Grand Prix as the Mercedes battle for the Formula 1 drivers' championship ignited at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

The Briton led home McLaren's Lando Norris and teammate Kimi Antonelli, but not until after a close call with the Italian championship leader.

It led to a heated radio discussion between Antonelli and race engineer Pete Bonnington, all while Russell reduced the gap in the drivers' standings to 18 points.

Mercedes drivers come to blows

Not for the first time this season, there was drama before the race had begun. Lance Stroll's Aston Martin was the subject of feverish work by the team's mechanics, and despite efforts to replace the lower suspension arm, the Canadian was wheeled back into the pitlane from the grid.

Lance Stroll, Aston Martin | Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team

Mercedes made their best starts of the season by far as Russell held the lead from Antonelli on the short run to Turn 1, but Lewis Hamilton immediately jumped Oscar Piastri for fourth.

While the majority of the field opted for the medium tires, Sergio Perez chose the softs and that paid dividends on lap one, the Cadillac jumping up to 13th.

The race settled into a rhythm as the Silver Arrows stretched three seconds clear by the start of lap five, the squad's upgrade package proving powerful on the Ile Notre-Dame layout.

By the end of the lap, Antonelli was in striking distance of his teammate and he made his move on the outside of Turn 1.

Russell got his elbows out and shoved the championship leader off-track in what was the ignition of the championship battle between the two, Antonelli skipping across the grass and narrowly avoiding wiping the two out.

George 🆚⚔️ Kimi#F1Sprint #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/lm3Gh0XGKm

— Formula 1 (@F1) May 23, 2026

Antonelli came back into Turn 8 but again ended up on the grass, this time in more dramatic fashion. Somehow, he kept the car pointing in the right direction, but the teenager was irked by the move from his teammate and protested over team radio, prompting a cooldown from team principal Toto Wolff.

That skirmish allowed Norris into second while Mercedes continued to try and calm Antonelli's temperature.

Isack Hadjar, meanwhile, was being wheeled into the garage on lap eight with an engine issue in the Red Bull, though the Frenchman quickly returned to the race.

Norris' pace at the front provided intrigue for the second half of the sprint and, indeed, the rest of the weekend, the McLaren seemingly coping with tire degradation better than the lead Mercedes. But while the reigning champion was easily running within half a second of Russell by lap 14, the leader's traction in critical areas of the lap was enough to keep the lead.

Russell's pace was slow enough to bring Antonelli back into the fight, while behind, Hamilton now had Piastri and teammate Charles Leclerc lurking in the fight for fourth.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari | Scuderia Ferrari

But as close as those fighting came, overtaking appeared difficult, and so it proved as Russell stayed at the front. Behind, though, a lock-up at the hairpin on the penultimate lap for Norris gave Antonelli a sniff at Turn 1 on the last lap, only to run wide again.

Hamilton clouted the Wall of Champions with three laps left and that gave Piastri a chance in the final throes to take fourth, with Leclerc getting past the Briton as well for fifth.

Max Verstappen was seventh but faces an investigation for ignoring yellow flags, while Arvid Lindblad secured the final point for Racing Bulls.

Franco Colapinto was ninth for Alpine ahead of Williams' Carlos Sainz, while Sergio Perez gave Cadillac its best finish in F1 with 11th after a thrilling battle with Liam Lawson. That was short lived though as he dropped to 14th with a 10-second penalty for forcing the Kiwi off-track.

Gabriel Bortoleto led home Nico Hulkenberg for Audi, though the veteran German picked up a 10-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage and dropped behind Esteban Ocon's Haas to 15th.

Pushing lap by lap at Île Notre-Dame. 🙌#ARF1 #Montreal pic.twitter.com/TsmdMik82J

— Audi Revolut F1 Team (@audif1_) May 23, 2026

Stroll was 16th after getting on-track, with the rest of the field having all visited the pits as part of an extended test.

Valtteri Bottas was 17th, Oliver Bearman 18th, Alex Albon 19th and Pierre Gasly 20th, with Hadjar last to finish.

Fernando Alonso retired with an issue for Aston Martin.

F1 Canadian Grand Prix: Sprint results

Position	Driver / Team
1	George Russell / Mercedes
2	Lando Norris / McLaren
3	Kimi Antonelli / Mercedes
4	Oscar Piastri / McLaren
5	Charles Leclerc / Ferrari
6	Lewis Hamilton / Ferrari
7	Max Verstappen / Red Bull
8	Arvid Lindblad / Racing Bulls
9	Franco Colapinto / Alpine
10	Carlos Sainz / Williams
11	Liam Lawson / Racing Bulls
12	Gabriel Bortoleto / Audi
13	Esteban Ocon / Haas
14	Sergio Perez / Cadillac
15	Nico Hulkenberg / Audi
16	Lance Stroll / Aston Martin
17	Valtteri Bottas / Cadillac
18	Oliver Bearman / Haas
19	Alex Albon / Williams
20	Pierre Gasly / Alpine
21	Isack Hadjar / Red Bull
DNF	Fernando Alonso / Aston Martin