Montreal delivered the kind of race that reminds you why Formula 1 at its best is genuinely unpredictable. Wet conditions at the start, a catastrophic strategy miscalculation from the most consistent team of recent seasons, a mechanical retirement that transformed the title picture, and a throwback battle between two legends in the final laps. Here is who came out of it looking good, and who did not.
Winner: Kimi Antonelli. Antonelli went from furious after his sprint race collision with Russell to victorious on Sunday, claiming his fourth straight win after his teammate retired with an engine failure and extending his championship lead to 43 points. He managed a chaotic race with the composure of someone twice his age. The gap he is building looks increasingly serious.
Winner: Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton described his P2 as the “happiest day at Ferrari so far,” having made gains from fifth on the grid and won the late-race battle with Verstappen for the runner-up spot. After a difficult introduction to life at Maranello, this felt like a genuine breakthrough.
Winner: Max Verstappen. His first podium of the 2026 season came in difficult circumstances for Red Bull, and it was earned the hard way. He battled Hamilton to the end and gave his team exactly what they needed: a sign that Verstappen can still extract the maximum from a car that is clearly not yet at the front.
Loser: George Russell. Russell said it felt like “the gods don’t want me to be in this fight” after his power unit failed on Lap 30 while he was battling at the front. He won the sprint race, looked like the fastest driver in the field, and left with nothing. The championship gap to Antonelli has now grown to 43 points.
Loser: McLaren. Both Norris and Piastri gambled on intermediate tyres at the race start, a call that backfired badly. Piastri radioed in early to say the intermediates were a mistake, and McLaren left Canada without scoring a point between their two drivers. For a team that was in championship contention entering the weekend, the damage to their season could be significant.