George Russell suffered a major blow to his title hopes as retirement from the lead of the Canadian Grand Prix handed victory to team-mate Kimi Antonelli.
The two Mercedes drivers had staged a gripping battle for the lead, swapping places several times, and were still nose to tail when Russell’s car suddenly stopped on lap 30.
Antonelli’s fourth win in a row, coupled with Russell’s retirement for what Mercedes said appeared to be a power-unit problem, puts the Italian 43 points ahead in the championship – seven points off two clear wins.
Russell’s retirement was not only a bitter blow to the Briton, but it also robbed the race of a no-holds-barred battle between the two Mercedes drivers, the second in two days after a dispute during the sprint on Saturday.
For the second day in a row, Antonelli complained about Russell’s driving, accusing him of pushing him off the track.
And shortly before Russell’s race ended, both drivers had been warned to keep the racing “tidy” or they would be told to hold position.
Before that, there had been several laps of frantic action and Antonelli appeared to have a pace advantage at the time Russell retired.
With Russell out, that paved the way for Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen to contest second place – and Hamilton overtook his old rival in the closing stages to snatch it.
The racing rivalry between Antonelli and Russell started immediately. Russell made a slow start from pole, Antonelli passed his team-mate, and McLaren’s Lando Norris swept by both Mercedes into the lead from third on the grid.
Norris, who had started the race on intermediate tyres, pitted on lap two, leaving Antonelli initially leading a five-car train of Russell, Hamilton’s Ferrari, Verstappen and the second Ferrari of Charles Leclerc.
Russell soon began to apply pressure on Antonelli and the Briton took the lead at the final chicane on lap six, Antonelli being forced to take evasive action through the run-off area as they entered the corner side by side.
Russell appeared relatively comfortable in the lead for a few laps, until he locked up his front brakes into the hairpin on lap 12, allowing Antonelli to get pass him – only for Russell to reclaim the lead into the final corner.
Antonelli tried again into the first corner and had to back off, but now Russell could not shake off his team-mate.
Four laps later, Russell again ran deep into the hairpin and they went side by side into the final chicane, only for Russell to hold on again.
Five laps went by before Russell again locked up at the hairpin and Antonelli passed for the lead down the straight towards the final chicane, only to make his own mistake at the hairpin two laps later and let Russell back into the lead.
Antonelli came back at him on the outside into the chicane and was slightly ahead as they turned in, but he had to take to the run-off area.
Returning to the race in the lead, Antonelli was ordered by the team to give the place back because he had passed off the track.
Antonelli complained, saying: “Why? He pushed me off.” But he did what he was told, before trying again at the chicane, only for Russell to hold him off.
This was the point at which both drivers were effectively told to cool it by the team, and the fight calmed down considerably before Russell’s retirement.
By BBC Sports
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