George Russell won the Canadian Grand Prix last Sunday, but the talking point since then has been Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri getting to blows for the the first time since becoming teammates.
The race in Canada last weekend wasn't that exciting, but the twist delivered by the McLaren drivers in the final laps made up for the lack of amusement.
While the focus heading to Montreal was on Max Verstappen's penalty points trouble after he banged wheels with Russell, the reigning Formula 1 champion was on his best behavior and stayed out of trouble and just did what he needed to do in order to keep his chances of retaining his title alive, at least mathematically.
McLaren were not at their best, while Mercedes were with Red Bull somewhere in between, as Ferrari had more off-track headaches to deal with aside from the racing.
Pirelli brought their C6 compound once again, which puzzled teams and drivers once again in the manner it performed against the C5, which for Russell and Verstappen was the tyre of choice in Q3 of qualifying as they locked out the front row on the starting grid.
Just before I started writing this article, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve was confirmed on the F1 calendar until the end of 2035, which is great news given a track like Miami was given a ridiculous contract extension.
So let's get into our Takeaways from the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix, one of many to come hopefully...
Papaya Rules!
Ironically, Norris said in the buildup to the Canadian Grand Prix weekend that it was just a matter of time before something happened between him and Piastri, and it did...
Having two fast drivers in the team is as much a curse as it is a blessing, but McLaren CEO Zak Brown was adamant that he would be happy to manage such a problem, always referring to Papaya Rules as the guidebook.
But then came the moment in Canada when Norris rear-ended Piastri after an exhilarating fight between the pair for a few laps, and now the McLaren management has to step in and set some real rules, black and white ones, not Papaya.
Since they became teammates, Piastri and Norris have been close, the former pushing the latter hard from the start. And while Norris has had the upper hand in terms of qualifying pace, Piastri has shown that he is the better racer while also improving his qualifying.
But McLaren cannot keep their drivers racing freely if they are to win their first F1 drivers' championship since 2008, when Lewis Hamilton delivered the goods in his second season with the team. They need to back one driver and relegate the other into a supporting role.
The constructors' title is all but a conclusion for them, but if what happened in Canada is repeated, Verstappen will just need to score points consistently, and his chances of successfully defending his title will be higher.
Now, the tough question is, who will McLaren back?
Well, Piastri is ahead, albeit not by much, but Norris has shown vulnerability on various occasions, whether in the heat of the battle or during crunch time in qualifying.
Norris messed up his qualifying in Canada and started the race from seventh, and it took him 11 laps or so to pass Fernando Alonso in an Aston Martin!
And on a weekend when McLaren were not at their best, and despite struggling in all practice sessions, Piastri was the one who delivered in qualifying and then in the race.
Should we say more?
Is Mercedes' pace real?
Mercedes have had a chronic issue with tyre degradation for some time now when conditions were hot, but they have managed to improve their W16 with upgrades, with a new rear suspension in particular targeting the overheating of their rear tyres.
On a side note, it is strange to hear about Mercedes' struggles with their rear tyres, as I recall it was an issue that marred them since 2010 when Michael Schumacher returned to F1 with them. There was always talk about excessive rear tyre deg. In the turbo-hybrid era, they had such a dominant car/power unit, but on certain occasions the same issue poked its head.
Back to the current times, Mercedes had the car to beat in Canada, and surprisingly, the conditions were hot with track temperatures close to 50 degrees Celsius on race day, but despite that, their tyre degradation was under control while Red Bull struggled, which meant Verstappen could not stay close to Russell long enough to launch a proper attack.
So have Mercedes found the silver bullet?
We have to be careful here, and there are other factors that played a role in Mercedes' dominant Canadian Grand Prix.
Russell started from the pole, and the run down to Turn 1 was too short for Verstappen to attack and make a pass, as he also had a slightly worse start than Russell, who from there on had the advantage of clean air, which is key with current F1 cars.
And while track temperature was high, the nature of the surface of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is not highly abrasive, which meant less tyre deg not to mention the layout of the track and its corners.
All those factors helped Mercedes deliver a strong performance, so it would be smart to wait and see how they fare in future races before confirming that they have sorted their problems.
Kimi Antonelli makes his F1 breakthrough
Mercedes, the team, and the drivers delivered a faultless weekend. Russell took a dominant pole and delivered a solid race, soaking early pressure from Verstappen.
As for Kimi Antonelli, he did not qualify as well, but he made up for that in the race. His start was perfect, and his pass on Piastri on lap one was sublime, and seeing such a move from a rookie makes it all the more impressive.
Antonelli went on to deliver a mature race and did not crack under pressure from Piastri towards the end and when matters became more tricky with Norris joining the party.
Hence, the 18-year-old Italian bagged his first ever F1 podium, a well-deserved one after a brilliant performance that showed how naturally talented he is.
Antonelli is an uncut diamond, and Mercedes appear to be doing a good job patiently polishing him in his rookie season, especially with Hamilton's former race engineer Peter Bonnington, aka Bono, having loads of experience to help the driver he manages learn his trade in the top flight.
Russell is doing a decent job leading Mercedes right now, but it will be very interesting to see how Antonelli develops into 2026.
Russell celebrated Antonelli extensively after the race both in parc ferme and on the podium, but one cannot but feel the Briton is already thinking about the moment the young teammate comes of age and starts threatening his status.
With Antonelli showing he is the real deal and a future investment for Mercedes and with Verstappen being linked to the team, it will be interesting to see how Russell's contract talks with Toto Wolff develop.
He will get a contract extension beyond 2025, but for how many years?
Canadian Grand Prix Quick Hits
- It was not a great weekend for Red Bull, but Verstappen managed to limit the damage by outscoring Piastri, while his "friend" Norris gave a gift by not finishing.
Do we need to say anything about the ever-improving Yuki Tsunoda? - Ferrari had another tough weekend with Charles Leclerc crashing and missing the first two practice sessions while Lewis Hamilton continued to struggle.
Then there were the rumors surrounding the team's future as well as Fred Vasseur's job at the top, thanks to the Italian media.
We know Ferrari is revered in Italy, but you cannot but feel that the Italian media is the Scuderia's worst enemy.
If the rumors turn out to be true and Vasseur gets the boot, that would be the stupidest decision from the big wigs at Maranello, especially as we head into a new era of regulations in 2026. - A disappointing weekend for Williams on a track where they should've been strong
- Another strong race from Fernando Alonso, while the returning Lance Stroll did not find enough motivation by having a grandstand with his name on it at his home race.
The Canadian qualified one second off his teammate's pace and finished ten places behind him in the race... And then Aston Martin become upset when GrandPrix247's Paul Velasco says Lance should call it time on his career in F1. - Nico Hulkenberg scored points for the second race in a row. Good stuff.
- A weekend of struggle for the Racing Bulls.
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