George Russell claimed victory in Formula 1’s Canadian Grand Prix sprint on May 23, 2026, prevailing after a combative early fight with his Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli. Russell headed Lando Norris by 1.272s at the flag, with Antonelli third, 1.843s behind the winner.
McLaren split the Mercedes pair as Norris secured second place, while Oscar Piastri followed in fourth to give the team two cars in the top four. Mercedes still landed two spots on the podium thanks to Antonelli’s third.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished fifth and sixth respectively. Max Verstappen took seventh for Red Bull.
The rest of the top 10 featured Arvid Lindblad in eighth for Racing Bulls, Franco Colapinto ninth for Alpine, and Carlos Sainz 10th for Williams.
Beyond the points-paying positions, Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) finished 11th, ahead of Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) in 12th and Esteban Ocon (Haas) in 13th. Sergio Perez (Cadillac) was 14th, with Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) 15th. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) came home 16th, followed by Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) in 17th and Ollie Bearman (Haas) in 18th. Alex Albon (Williams) and Pierre Gasly (Alpine) took 19th and 20th, with Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) 21st. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) retired.
Results:
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) Ollie Bearman (Haas)
19) Alex Albon (Williams)
20) Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
21) Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
DNF: Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
With Russell on top and Antonelli third, Mercedes bookended the podium, while McLaren’s double top-four finish underscored its presence near the front. Attention now turns to the main Canadian Grand Prix, where teams will look to translate sprint form into the headline result.
Source: the-race.com