The Sprint Race in Canada was a dramatic one, but in the end, George Russell was able to hold on until the checkered flag to claim P1 and eight more Championship points. Lando Norris managed to finish the Sprint in second place, ahead of Kimi Antonelli in third. Below are the all the highlights from the most eventful Sprint Race this year.
- Intra-Team Battle Escalating at Mercedes
- Russell and Antonelli have managed to battle cleanly leading up to this race, however tensions ran high during the Sprint. The two Mercedes teammates were fighting in first and second positions, with Antonelli desperate to overtake, when the Italian driver ran off the track and went through the grass on multiple occasions. Kimi took to the radio to voice his feelings, claiming that Russell had pushed him off. His race engineer and Toto Wolff both told the young Mercedes driver that the team would handle the issue after the race, but it’s clear that things are starting to heat up. We’ll see what the Grand Prix will bring to us on Sunday.
- Lando Norris Bringing the Fight to Mercedes
- Also up at the front of the grid, Lando was able to take advantage of the Mercedes spat and slot into second place, where he was looking quick enough to have the potential to overtake Russell in P1. Though the reigning World Champion had to settle for second, it was a clear indication of how strong McLaren is looking, and in a couple of races time, they could be level with Mercedes if they use their upgrades right.
- Cadillac Earns Best Result
- It may have been a Sprint Race, not a Grand Prix, but Cadillac still finished with their best result in F1, with Sergio Perez crossing the line in eleventh place after starting sixteenth. His official race result ended up being fourteenth after the Mexican driver got handed a ten-second time penalty for forcing another driver off the track, but the overall Sprint gave the team a boost heading into Qualifying and the Grand Prix.
- Arvid Lindblad Demonstrating Impressive Pace
- The rookie driver had an impressive Sprint Qualifying and managed to get his Racing Bulls into ninth place ahead of the race. Lindblad only got better throughout the race and capitalized on Isack Hadjar’s technical issues to ultimately finish in eighth. Meanwhile, his teammate Liam Lawson was down in eighteenth, after being unable to participate in Sprint Qualifying and unable to make up enough places to be competitive in the 23-lap race. If Lindblad continues with his impressive form, it’ll have the team comparing Lawson to the young rookie, and questioning if any actions need to be taken.
- Haas Not Enjoying the Weekend
- One team that seems to be struggling this weekend is Haas, which is surprising considering they have been firmly in the midfield fight so far this season. Ollie Bearman has been suffering the most, after qualifying nineteenth and only ending the Sprint one place up. A similar situation occurred for Esteban Ocon, though he finished thirteenth, improving one place from qualifying the day before. We’ll see how the American based team can recover in time for Grand Prix qualifying later.
