Mercedes’ star Antonelli claims the Canadian GP is his fourth consecutive F1 win after Russell’s exit.

Formula One leader Kimi Antonelli won the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday, claiming his fourth race in a row after teammate George Russell retired with engine failure.

The title-chasing Mercedes drivers put on a show in a thrilling 30-minute battle, trading several times and coming dangerously close to contact, until disaster struck for Russell.

The Brit, 28, threw his helmet on the track and punched the front of the car before leaving the circuit, slamming his gloves down in anger.

That gave Antonelli a clear path to victory ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, who passed Red Bull’s Max Verstappen for second with six laps to go in cold and windy conditions at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

The 19-year-old Italian, Antonelli joined multiple world champions Fernando Alonso, Hamilton and Verstappen as the only active drivers to win four races in a row.

He opened a 43-point lead over Russell in the drivers’ standings with five of 22 stops this season.

Hamilton scored his best result since joining Ferrari last year, while Verstappen reached the podium for the first time this season.

Russell’s exit marked a bad end to an otherwise great weekend for last year’s winner in Montreal, who took Saturday’s sprint race and Sunday’s restart.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished fourth, followed by Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson.

Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, Carlos Sainz Jr. Williams and Haas’ Oliver Bearman completed the top 10.

McLaren is struggling

McLaren started with both drivers on the second row but Lando Norris was forced to retire with a gearbox issue on Lap 40. Teammate Oscar Piastri finished 11th after the team’s initial decision on medium tires failed.

Rain continued throughout the day as the temperature reached 14 C, but the bad weather eased before the race.

Norris flew from third to first with a thrilling start on the dry stretch, changing tires three times. That brought down Antonelli, who in turn passed Russell following a poor start from the pole sitter.

Russell regained the lead on lap seven with a clean pass as Antonelli nearly hit his teammate from behind after his wheels locked up, leaving the track.

The battle continued on Lap 12 as Antonelli moved forward, only for Russell to retake his position before fending off multiple pass attempts on Lap 17.

Antonelli successfully pulled away on lap 22, but Russell regained the lead when Antonelli spun out of the yard two laps later. The exchange continued until Russell’s engine blew up.

Merc competition in Montreal

The Mercedes drivers went head-to-head all weekend in the fastest cars on the grid, with Russell 0.068 seconds behind Antonelli in both qualifying and qualifying sessions.

Tensions came to a head early in Saturday’s race when they came into contact with Antonelli’s pass attempt, as Russell kept his line and forced Antonelli onto the grass. Antonelli lost his cool on team radio, calling the action “very naughty” before demanding a penalty.

Stewards did not investigate the incident, but Antonelli had the last laugh on Sunday and extended his championship lead.

Montreal’s Lance Stroll, the lone Canadian on the 22-driver grid, finished fifteenth for the season after starting the race in pit lane as six drivers retired.

The Canadian GP took place a few weeks earlier than its traditional mid-June slot as part of the F1 calendar designed to reduce travel.

The race coincided with the Canadiens playoff run for the first time, with the colors bleu-blanc-rouge combined with Ferrari red and McLaren orange for the city and beyond the paddock, creating a vibrant atmosphere in the city.

About 360,000 fans, including FIFA president Gianni Infantino wearing a Canadiens jersey, attended the three-day event, with spectators braving the rain to fill the tables on Sunday.

The prestigious Monaco Grand Prix, scheduled for June 7, will be next on the F1 circuit.