MONTREAL — Mercedes driver George Russell secured his first win of the 2025 Formula 1 season Sunday, when he held off Red Bull’s Max Verstappen at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Verstappen, the four-time reigning F1 season champion, was denied what would have been his fourth straight Canadian GP triumph.
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.
Russell had not win since the Las Vegas GP last November.
“It’s amazing to be back on the top step,” said the 27-year-old British driver, who got his fifth podium finish of the season. “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.”