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Oscar Piastri has lost more ground in the F1 championship race after finishing fourth in the Canadian Grand Prix sprint, but McLaren could take heart from an extraordinary bust-up between Mercedes\u2019 pacesetting drivers as George Russell celebrated victory.<\/p>\n
In what turned out to be a great day for Englishman Russell, he later took pole position for Sunday\u2019s grand prix, pipping his young championship-leading colleague Kimi Antonelli, while Piastri again had to settle for fourth behind McLaren teammate Lando Norris, just as he had in the sprint.<\/p>\n
The real drama of the day in Montreal, though, was that the gloves really looked to be off at Mercedes after 19-year-old Antonelli ended up raging about what he called a \u201cnaughty\u201d move from Russell which he felt had shoved him off the track.<\/p>\n
The furious teenager, who went off the track twice while battling for the lead with Russell, even demanded his teammate get a penalty, and ended up being scolded by team principal Toto Wolff to \u201cstop the radio moaning\u201d.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, though, Russell took the victory and the eight points to Antonelli\u2019s six, which reduces the third-placed Italian\u2019s championship lead to 18 points.<\/p>\n
World champ Norris had to settle for the runners-up spot, while Piastri was not too unhappy with fourth; a result that keeps him sixth overall in the standings on 48 points, but now 10 behind fourth-placed Norris and 58 behind Antonelli.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/af5c54ba9ed43d3cc416e0e65a7fbc181d9c92d7.jpeg\")
The stakes are rising between Mercedes teammates George Russell and Kimi Antonelli in Montreal.Graham Hughes\/The Canadian Press via AP<\/p>\n
The Australian, though, was happy to pull off a daring overtake on the outside to pip Ferrari\u2019s Lewis Hamilton on the final chicane, but he later couldn\u2019t match Norris\u2019s pace again in qualifying while Russell snatched a dramatic pole by 0.064sec from Antonelli at the last gasp.<\/p>\n
The sprint drama had begun when pole-sitter Russell was being put under pressure from Antonelli on lap six. On turn one, the teenager swept round the outside, only for the pair to make contact as the Italian was forced across the grass and Russell stayed ahead.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was very naughty. Not fair, he pushed me off,\u201d Antonelli fumed over the radio, adding: \u201cThat should be a penalty, I was alongside the mirror.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wolff intervened to tell Antonelli to \u201cconcentrate on the racing please and not the radio moaning\u201d.<\/p>\n
![\"Australian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/cb8c6c2b89faab8a7492f4e3f697f2b635dbaf46.jpeg\")
Australian Oscar Piastri was reasonably pleased to qualify in fourth for the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.Getty Images<\/p>\n
Later in the lap, the youngster locked up as he tried to move past on the inside, moving on to the grass, allowing Norris to take second, a position he held despite one last lunge from the Italian.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we need to race like this, that\u2019s good to know,\u201d Antonelli muttered on the radio, with Wolff responding: \u201cKimi, now is not the time to talk about this. We talk about this internally and not on the radio, OK.\u201d<\/p>\n
Afterwards, on the press conference sofa next to Antonelli, Russell was unapologetic.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was going to close the line because that is my right to do so. A good, hard battle. Came out unscathed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cGlad we are both sat here now, could have been something different and that is how racing should be.\u201d<\/p>\n
And after grabbing pole, he revealed: \u201cWe\u2019ve had a good chat since this morning. We\u2019re both racing drivers, we both respect one another.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll go racing and we\u2019re just battling, the two of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Related Video<\/p>\n
Wolff tried to play it all down, telling Sky Sports: \u201cWe don\u2019t want to start race five with headlines like \u2018Star Wars\u2019 or \u2018this is escalating\u2019, as it\u2019s not. It\u2019s emotion and he is a young driver.\u201d<\/p>\n
AAP with agencies<\/p>\n
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