F1 update – Canadian GP

Round 5 of the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship took place at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada for the Canadian Grand Prix.

Mercedes continued their winning start to the year and despite battling with his team mate in the early stages of the race Andrea ‘Kimi’ Antonelli took his fourth victory of the year heading home the Ferrari of Sir Lewis Hamilton who overtook Red Bull’s Max Verstappen brilliantly in closing stages to claim second with the Red Bull of Max Verstappen claiming his and the team’s first podium finish of the year with third.

Canadian GP – top 5:

• 1st: Andrea ‘Kimi’ Antonelli – Mercedes
• 2nd: Sir Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari
• 3rd: Max Verstappen – Red Bull
• 4th: Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
• 5th: Isack Hadjar – Red Bull

Other highlights:

• Racing Bull’s driver Arvid Lindblad would fail to start the race as his gearbox failed after the first formation lap.
• Williams’s Alexander Albon would retire on lap 12 after a collision with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, Piastri would be given a 10 second time penalty for the incident.
• McLaren had a nightmare race with both drivers starting the race on intermediate tyres on a drying track, Lando Norris would retire on lap 39 when his gearbox failed.
• Mercedes driver George Russell would retire on lap 30 whilst battling with his team mate due to an engine failure. Russell was given a fine for chucking his head rest onto the circuit when getting out of his car.
• Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso would retire on lap 24 with a broken seat.
• Cadillac’s Sergio Perez would suffer a suspension on his car on entry to the pits on lap 40 and would retire in the pitlane.
• Audi had a penalty fest race with Nico Hulkenberg getting a penalty for speeding in the pitlane and then his team mate Gabriel Bortoletto getting a 5 second time penalty for a virtual safety car infringment.
• Alpine had a very good race as their drivers Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly finished in sixth and eighth respectively, the former it’s his best race result so far in his career.
• Cadillac’s Valterri Bottas was given a penalty for speeding in the pitlane.

News:

• Motor racing world went into a state of shock after the sudden passing of 2 time Nascar champion Kyle Busch who passed away at the age of 41 this past week.
• F1 Academy saw Red Bull backed driver Alisha Palmowski take 2 race wins winning the first and third race’s of the weekend after starting from pole in both those races. Palmowski would head home TAG Heuer backed driver Megan Bruce and Aston Martin backed driver Mathilda Paatz in race 1 and in race 3 heading home Audi backed driver Emma Felbermayr and Megan Bruce. Race 2 was won by Aston Martin backed driver Mathilda Paatz with Haas backed driver Kaylee Countryman finishing second and Mercedes backed driver Payton Westcott finishing third.
• Williams have appointed Piers Thynne from McLaren as their new chief optimastion and planning officer.
• Former F1 team boss Ross Brawn has returned to motor racing by becoming a member of the board of directors for Moto GP outfit Pramac Racing.

The next round of the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship will take place on the streets of Monte-Carlo in Monaco for the Monaco Grand Prix on 5th to 7th June.

Here’s Aston and regular contributor Cameron Perkins with the latest from the world of Formula 1.