The 2025 Canadian Grand Prix delivered a dramatic duel between the McLarens, tense battles throughout the field and a race that ultimately ended under safety car conditions.
The race remains one of the standout events on the Formula One calendar, and Sunday's race lived up to that billing. Here are the key talking points from a chaotic weekend of racing.
Russell rules in Montreal
From lights out to the chequered flag, it was a commanding performance and arguably one of George Russell’s finest weekends yet – if not his very best.
It all started when the British driver produced a sensational lap to beat Max Verstappen by 0.160 seconds to clinch pole position in a dramatic conclusion to qualifying.
With no love lost between the rivals, a potential showdown on Sunday dominated headlines – especially after Russell cheekily stirred the pot, quipping: “I’ve got a few more points on my licence to play with.”
Verstappen, currently has 11 penalty points on his FIA super licence, and is just one point away from triggering an automatic one-race suspension. His tally rose after being handed three penalty points for a collision with Russell in Barcelona.
However, Russell executed the ideal launch, reacting sharply and left Verstappen trailing. The Dutchman was able to apply some pressure, but his pace eventually dropped off.
Mercedes' recent tyre troubles appeared to fade, as Russell managed them with precision en route to his first Grand Prix victory of the season. He capped it off by setting the fastest lap of the race – the perfect end to a flawless weekend.
Russell said: “I’d love to get our hopes up, but I think the strength of our car is in these cooler conditions. Let’s see going into the upcoming races, but we’ll just enjoy it for now.”
This was an important win given Russell's contract is set to expire at the end of the season. “He’s giving us all the reasons to [extend] quickly,” said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. “We know what he’s capable of doing and he has been leading this team now since a while. He has the pace and the right attitude.”
McLarens implode
A late collision between the two McLarens brought an end to the team’s impressive run of eight consecutive podiums.
It was a difficult weekend for Lando Norris, whose form remains inconsistent. In qualifying, he underperformed, securing only P7 despite driving what many consider the fastest car in the field. He admitted to pushing too hard – it's becoming a habit, and a costly one.
In the closing stages of the race, Norris found himself behind teammate Oscar Piastri. With both allowed to race, it sparked an exciting duel. Norris briefly got ahead with a move at the hairpin, but Piastri reclaimed the position into Turn 13 as the battle for fourth heated up. On the pit straight, Piastri maintained his line while Norris, desperate to get back in front, misjudged the space and made contact, crashing out and triggering the safety car.
Speaking over the radio, Norris immediately acknowledged his mistake. “I'm sorry. It's all my bad, all my fault. Unlucky, sorry. Stupid from me.”
Struggling to manage the pressure effectively, Norris will need to regroup and find the consistency expected of someone with his level of talent. Fortunately, Piastri was able to continue after the incident and secured a P4 finish, extending his lead at the top of the championship to 22 points.
Antonelli bounces back
While the weekend belonged to his Mercedes teammate, Kimi Antonelli drove a remarkable race to become the third-youngest podium finisher of all time behind Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll.
Starting the race in P4, the 18-year-old Italian managed to overtake Piastri at the start to set him up for a strong effort. With the McLarens behind him and closing in, Antonelli stayed calm and the subsequent collision helped him secure P3 and some well-earned celebrations.
“On the last stint I pushed a bit too hard behind Max and I killed the front left a bit,” Antonelli said. “I struggled at the end, but really happy to bring the podium home.”
It was a memorable performance from the young driver after a difficult run of form. Following retirements at both his home Grand Prix in Imola and in Spain – and a disappointing 18th-place finish in Monaco – Antonelli bounced back in style.
Vasseur's denials, Hamilton's road kill
Ferrari arrived in Canada under a cloud, forced to deny reports from the Italian media suggesting that team principal Fred Vasseur was on the brink of leaving. Corriere della Sera even named a potential successor, claiming Ferrari would be interested in Antonello Coletta, the global head of Ferrari Endurance and Corse Clienti.
To add to the tension, there were rumours that both drivers were unhappy. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton rejected the claims. In response to the speculation, Hamilton said: “It’s definitely not nice to hear that there are stories like that out there. Firstly, I love working with Fred – Fred’s the main reason I’m in this team and got the opportunity to be here, for which I’m forever grateful for, and we’re in this together.”
Nonetheless, one fact remains clear: Ferrari are underperforming. The weekend marked another disappointing outing for the Scuderia. Many had tipped Ferrari to be genuine contenders this season, but with zero Grand Prix wins and just three podiums so far, they have failed to build on the momentum of last year, when they finished as runners-up in the constructors’ championship, just 16 points behind McLaren.
On Sunday, Leclerc and Hamilton finished in P5 and P6, respectively. Hamilton picked up damage in lap 13 (he ran over an animal believed to be a marmot), damaging the floor of the car.
“It was feeling pretty decent up until then,” he told Sky Sports. “I got a good start, held position, I was holding on to the group, I was managing the tyres well, so I was feeling optimistic.”
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Star%20Wars%3A%20Episode%20I%20%E2%80%93%20The%20Phantom%20Menace
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Gully Boy
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Producer: Excel Entertainment & Tiger Baby
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi
Rating: 4/5 stars
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
The specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: nine-speed
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh848,000
On sale: now
Brief scores:
Everton 2
Walcott 21', Sigurdsson 51'
Tottenham 6
Son 27', 61', Alli 35', Kane 42', 74', Eriksen 48'
Man of the Match: Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur)
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (Turf) 1,200m
Winner: AF Majalis, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Sawt Assalam, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Foah, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel.
6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Faiza, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 80,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: RB Dixie Honor, Antonio Fresu, Helal Al Alawi.
7.30pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh 100,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: Boerhan, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard.
CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
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Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
MATCH INFO
Day 2 at Mount Maunganui
England 353
Stokes 91, Denly 74, Southee 4-88
New Zealand 144-4
Williamson 51, S Curran 2-28
'Downton Abbey: A New Era'
Director: Simon Curtis
Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter and Phyllis Logan
Rating: 4/5
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
AGUERO'S PREMIER LEAGUE RECORD
Apps: 186
Goals: 127
Assists: 31
Wins: 117
Losses: 33
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: CVT
Power: 170bhp
Torque: 220Nm
Price: Dh98,900
The biog
Hometown: Birchgrove, Sydney Australia
Age: 59
Favourite TV series: Outlander Netflix series
Favourite place in the UAE: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque / desert / Louvre Abu Dhabi
Favourite book: Father of our Nation: Collected Quotes of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Thing you will miss most about the UAE: My friends and family, Formula 1, having Friday's off, desert adventures, and Arabic culture and people
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
Price, base / as tested From Dh173,775 (base model)
Engine 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo, AWD
Power 249hp at 5,500rpm
Torque 365Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm
Gearbox Nine-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined 7.9L/100km
Players Selected for La Liga Trials
U18 Age Group
Name: Ahmed Salam (Malaga)
Position: Right Wing
Nationality: Jordanian
Name: Yahia Iraqi (Malaga)
Position: Left Wing
Nationality: Morocco
Name: Mohammed Bouherrafa (Almeria)
Position: Centre-Midfield
Nationality: French
Name: Mohammed Rajeh (Cadiz)
Position: Striker
Nationality: Jordanian
U16 Age Group
Name: Mehdi Elkhamlichi (Malaga)
Position: Lead Striker
Nationality: Morocco
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Company%C2%A0profile
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