'Star Wars' hots up: Kimi Antonelli claims historic victory and DHL Fastest Lap in Canada

The Canadian Grand Prix was totally dominated by Mercedes, as the championship battle seesawed between George Russell and Kimi Antonelli. The gloves already came off in the sprint event. Antonelli was determined to snatch P1 from his team-mate, who fought back and sent the young Italian through the grass. "That was very naughty," Antonelli grumbled over the radio, demanding a penalty for Russell. Toto Wolff had to tell his young prodigy to calm down.

In the main race, the two then picked up from exactly where they had left off on Saturday. Over the course of 30 laps, they fought a top-class duel. Russell misbraked on several occasions, allowing Antonelli to pass, but the more experienced Mercedes driver managed to reclaim the lead each time. There was even slight contact between them at one point; Antonelli was adjudged to have been at fault and had to give the position gained back to Russell.

But on lap 30, there came a shock development, as race leader Russell suddenly slowed down and came to a stop at the side of the track. A technical defect in the power unit had put an end to his race and to the internal Mercedes duel. This cleared the way for Antonelli. The 19-year-old sped unchallenged around the 4.36km Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. On the very last lap, he seized the opportunity to set the DHL Fastest Pit Stop once again, passing the checkered flag in a time of just 1:14.210 minutes.

It was a historic day for Formula 1. Never before has an F1 driver celebrated his first four wins one after another. "It was a really fun battle with George, right on the limit. It was a shame he had that failure. But another win - I'm very happy," said the championship leader, who extended his lead to 43 points. "Right now, it's his to lose," Russell said in reference to the world championship.