Mercedes takes the lead again, but Ferrari finds Hamilton again

Antonelli’s Mercedes is still ahead of everyone, but the Italian’s victory in Canada came in a decidedly different way from that of Miami. In Florida, Toto Wolff’s team had to sweat out first place, while now they are back to taking off with the updates. Luckily there was no shortage of spectacle, with the silver derby holding sway for over thirty laps, which was cut short prematurely at the best. Ferrari thus took advantage of the situation and achieved a result that went well beyond the expectations of the day before, thanks above all to Hamilton’s newfound confidence. A duel interrupted too soon The positive news for Antonelli arrived right from the start, when between the two Mercedes the Italian driver had the upper hand in Turn 1, promoting the changes made to the clutch and software to improve acceleration from a standing start. “It’s going much better, it was needed, it’s a good step forward,” comments the Italian. However, this is only the beginning, because from that moment a duel begins in which Kimi and George end up fighting each other several times in braking. Toto Wolff certainly won’t have been calm, even more so seeing the many braking errors made by all the drivers on the track, favored by the strong wind and cold temperatures of Sunday in Montreal. As the laps go by, the feeling that Antonelli has an edge over Russell grows stronger, but unfortunately the technical problem with the Englishman’s car interrupts everything at its best. For George it is a retirement with a great psychological burden and which is already creating a significant fracture in the rankings. The help of fate, however, does not diminish the extraordinary things Antonelli is doing, whose four consecutive victories are the result of a powerful mix of speed, cynicism and consistency. Standing up to Russell on one of his best tracks can only increase Kimi’s awareness, who is also happy about the intact harmony with the W17 even after the first major evolutionary package. Photo by Bryn Lennon – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images Mercedes makes it five out of five. The updates put Mercedes back in front of everyone, shaking off the competition that had given it a hard time in Miami. The question now is what the Silver Arrows’ actual advantage is. Looking at the qualifications it would seem to be down compared to March, but the picture that emerged in the race was very different. In the first stage on soft tyres, net of overtaking, Antonelli and Russell lapped on average 6-7 tenths faster than their pursuers, a decidedly important gap on one of the shortest tracks in the World Championship. Kimi’s pace on medium tires is decidedly more modest, even if the blue at that point is fully managing to contain a hint of graining on the front. Overall, after the first round of updates, the W17 remains the car to beat and according to Antonelli, the impression is that this year the cold has not helped the Silver Arrows, cars that are also excellent in cooling: “This weekend we didn’t see the full potential of the package. There were atypical conditions and it was very cold.” Regardless of how the next few months go, so far Antonelli and Mercedes have made the most of the technical advantage of this start to the season, even if the road remains very long, with at least 15 more events scheduled. Furthermore, the bugaboo of reliability remains alive, which today betrayed Russell and which could hold Kimi himself back tomorrow. Photo by James Sutton – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images Hamilton is back Thanks to the misfortunes of others, Ferrari takes an unexpected second place. However, the Cavallino produced a very respectable performance, on a decidedly difficult track for the SF-26, devoid of fast corners and full of straights that do not forgive the lack of horsepower. The result comes above all thanks to a reinvigorated Hamilton, to say the least, protagonist of his best weekend in Ferrari. The English champion gave up preparing on the simulator before Canada, so as not to run the risk of going off track with the set-up. Sir Lewis instead concentrated on data analysis, in particular on braking and corner approach, deciding on an unprecedented mechanical set-up which has certainly borne fruit. The objective for Hamilton now will be to find consistency, replicating with convincing performances even on tracks other than Canada, which has always been one of his favourites. Likewise, Leclerc can take heart from the thought that circuits more similar to him will arrive. The weekend in Montreal was a real nightmare for the Monegasque driver, never finding the feeling with the SF-26 and finishing over 30 seconds behind his teammate. The opportunity to make up for it will already come in Monaco, an event that could be the greatest opportunity for Ferrari to fight for victory. Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images Verstappen maximizes, McLaren wastes everything Surprisingly, Red Bull also gets on the podium in Canada with Max Verstappen. It wasn’t an easy weekend for the Dutch champion, but he was able to seize every opportunity that arose. In the race Verstappen even toyed with the idea of ​​finishing ahead of Hamilton, but in the second half he suffered a drop in tire temperature caused by excessive wear, exposing himself to the Ferrari driver’s return. The RB22, however, confirms itself to be a very competitive car on the straight, whose merits also lie in the extraordinary work carried out on the debut of the Red Bull-Ford power unit. A day simply to forget for McLaren, which received a heavy double zero in the standings. The reigning champions complicated their lives with the choice of intermediate tire at the start, then persisted in not returning even after the three formation laps. The subsequent comeback from the rear leads Piastri to make a mistake, which collapses against the innocent Albon, while a new technical problem forces Norris to retire. Alpine, on the other hand, is smiling, in the points with both cars separated from Lawson’s Racing Bulls, while as development progresses Audi becomes increasingly opaque, still outside the top-10. Photo by Geoff Robins / AFP via Getty Images The gaze now turns to Monaco, where Ferrari could have what it takes to attempt the big coup, although the Principality has always been such an atypical track as to prevent any predictions. With the arrival of June, the new compression ratio verification test will also debut, although the publication of the ADUO rankings will be much more relevant. Everything is intertwined with the definition of the changes to the 2027 regulation, for which a decision is urgently needed. Click here to add Formula Passion as your favorite source on Google Discover: you will find our content more easily!

Automobile Magazine – F1 English News , 2026-05-25 10:25:00