Antonelli wins again to capitalise on Russell retirement in Canada

George Russell suffered a major blow to his title hopes after retiring from the lead of the Canadian Grand Prix, handing 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.  (BBC Sport) 

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