Kimi Antonelli on Sunday won the Canadian Grand Prix to secure his 4th consecutive F1 victory. Thanks to the win, Antonelli has widened his lead to 43 points over George Russell, who was forced to retire from the race.
Behind Antonelli were Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, who finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
In stark contrast, McLaren had a horrendous weekend. Lando Norris was forced to retire with a gearbox issue, and Oscar Piastri was not only forced to pit on the opening lap after a botched tire strategy, but he was also assessed a 10-second penalty for crashing into Alex Albon, which resulted in him finishing 11th and outside the points.
Despite finishing first, Mercedes still has significant work to do. Upgrades by Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull have significantly eaten into their advantage.
Additionally, a new regulation that goes into effect on June 1st and requires power units to pass the 16:1 compression limit check at both ambient temperature and at a hot running temperature of 130°, are expected to further eat into Mercedes’ pace advantage.
Next up is Monaco. As overtaking opportunities are almost nonexistent, any team looking to unseat Mercedes will need to out pace them in qualifying.
