New Delhi:Canadian GP winner Kimi Antonelli, the teenage prodigy, continues his meteoric rise with his fourth straight victory of the season on Sunday, May 24. Antonelli extended his championship lead over teammate George Russell, who retired halfway through the race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Antonelli lined up second on the grid behind Russell, the two Mercedes drivers battling one another for the lead. The two swapped the lead several times in their battles at the beginning of the race. However, a technical problem on Russell’s Mercedes W17 on Lap 30 brought out a Virtual Safety Car and forced the Briton to retire.
The Italian then maintained his lead throughout, keeping Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton at bay. Hamilton took second for his second podium of the season, passing Verstappen in the closing laps as the Red Bull driver secured his first podium of the season.
Antonelli first to win four races straightMeanwhile Antonelli has written his name into the history books after winning the Canadian GP as he became the first ever racer to win their first four races in a row. Earlier he was tied with former legends Damon Hill and Mika Haikkinen for three straight first wins in their careers.
The biggest talking point of the race was the fight between Antonelli and Russell, who swapped the lead multiple times as the battle between the two teammates heated up. Russell’s retirement gave the Italian a massive opportunity to take the race, and he did. But the 19-year-old wasn’t happy about the retirement.
“I wouldn’t say it was the way I wanted to win, honestly, because it was a tough fight with George,” Antonelli said. “It was very intense, but I think it would have been cool to see how it would have ended up because we were going at each other.
We were pushing and I think we both made a lot of mistakes. I think I made a mistake on my side that was a little bit in a crucial moment when I went back in front and started to pull away. "That was a mistake that would have been better if I could have avoided it. “It was a tough battle, it was intense and of course I felt sorry for him but we’ll take the win and move forward.
Russell leaves in disbelief after DNFRussell was one of five drivers to have a DNF to their name in Canada. He had cut Antonelli’s championship lead to 18 after the Sprint race, but then saw the margin increase again as his technical problem forced him to retire his car.
Russell said he felt “like somebody doesn’t want me to fight or compete for this championship before adding, “three out of the last five races there’s just been something really going against us. "I'm just a little lost for words at the moment."
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