George Russell holds off Max Verstappen for Canadian GP win as McLarens collide

MONTREAL (AP) — George Russell won his first race of the Formula 1 season as the Mercedes driver held off defending race winner Max Verstappen at the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday.

It was the fourth victory of Russell’s career, and the race ended under yellow when McLaren teammates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris staged a wheel-to-wheel late battle that ended with Norris hitting the wall.

“It’s amazing to be back on the top step,” Russell said. “I felt last year was a victory lost, so to get the victory and see (teammate) Kimi (Antonelli) on the podium, too, is an amazing day for the team. I think it shows the strength of our cars in the cooler conditions, so let’s see in the coming races.”

Russell started on pole for the second consecutive year in Montreal and held the advantage for most of the race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The British driver became the fourth race winner this year, joining points leader leader Piastri, Norris and Verstappen, the four-time reigning F1 champion.

Verstappen, who has one more race to go before points drop off his license and eliminate the possibility of a one-race suspension, was satisfied with his second-place finish.

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“Was quite a good race, even though in the first two stints we were struggling with the tires,” the Dutchman said. “We hung in there in the final stint. That was the maximum we could have achieved today.”

Mercedes rookie Antonelli finished third behind Verstappen for his first F1 podium.

“A really good day. It was absolutely victory on merit,” Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said. “We controlled the race all the way. George drove brilliantly and Kimi didn’t crack under pressure, even with the McLaren right behind him.

“It’s been a while since we’ve had two cars on the podium with a win and that’s why everyone is delighted.”

The two McLarens came together when Norris, then in fifth, attempted to pass Piastri multiple times on the 67th lap out of 70. Norris ultimately ran into Piastri and bounced into the wall, drawing a safety car for the final laps.

“I was defending the inside, then I felt a small touch,” Piastri said. “That’s all I’ve got to go on at the moment. It’s a shame for the team.”

Norris received a 5-second penalty for contact with Piastri after the race and took responsibility.

“I just went for it. I thought Oscar would move a bit more to the right, not leave a gap,” Norris said. “I wasn’t expecting anything easy from him. But in the end, it was all my mistake. I take full blame and I want to apologize to my whole team and to Oscar for attempting something like that.”

Piastri finished fourth, ending an eight-race podium streak dating back to the second race of the season. McLaren as a team failed to reach the top three for the first time this year.

“We never want to see a McLaren car involved in an accident and definitely not contact between our two cars,” team principal Andrea Stella said. “This is a situation we know is not acceptable. At the same time, we appreciate that Lando immediately owned it.

“He raised his hand, as you should, and apologized to the team. For us, that sort of resets the situation. I’m sure there’s an important learning point for him from this race. He’s paid a price the championship and we value the way he handled it.”

Piastri arrived in Montreal — the 10th of 24 stops this season — with a 10-point lead over Norris amid a dominant season for the papaya-colored cars.

The Australian driver extended his advantage to 22 points over his British teammate. Verstappen, ranked third in the drivers’ championship, now trails Norris by 21 points. A race win is worth 25.

Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were fifth and sixth. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg, Haas’ Esteban Ocon and Williams’ Carlos Sainz Jr. rounded out the top 10.

Leclerc, after holding off on a second pit stop, was the leader until the 54th lap when he finally swapped tires.

That set up a five-man race to the finish involving Russell, Verstappen, Antonelli, Piastri and Norris in the final 16 laps. A little more than five seconds separated the drivers.

Lance Stroll, the lone Canadian on the 20-driver grid, finished 17th after starting 18th. The Aston Martin driver received a 10-second penalty for forcing Alpine’s Pierre Gasly off the track on the 47th lap.

The Canadian GP returns to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve next year. The next F1 race is the Austrian Grand Prix on June 29.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing