A Canadian GP of mixed feelings: from Russell and Mercedes' happiness to Norris's "stupid" mistake and McLaren's anger.

George Russell and Lando Norris were the two main protagonists of the Canadian Grand Prix , the tenth round of the Formula 1 world championship. The British Mercedes driver , for the better, because he got over the thorn from last year (when he couldn't take advantage of the pole position), dominated the track and won ahead of Max Verstappen and the rookie Kimi Antonelli , to celebrate his first victory of the season. And the McLaren driver, for the worse, because in the middle of the fight with his teammate Oscar Piastri for fourth place, he caused an accident at the end of the race, which forced the Safety Car to be brought out and made the race end under yellow flag and without excitement.

“It's incredible to be back on top of the podium. Last year we squandered the win. This time, we finally got it,” Russell commented.

Last year, the Briton started first but finished third. Yesterday, it was a different story: with great pace, he held the lead for most of the race and was able to hold off attacks from Verstappen, his greatest rival on the track.

“Everything went as expected and it was a truly fantastic day, for me and the team,” said the man who became the fourth winner this year, joining points leader Piastri, Norris, and four-time world champion Verstappen.

The Dutchman, who finished just 0.228 seconds behind Russell, said: "It was a pretty good race, although we struggled with the tires in the first two stints. We held on in the last stint and the tires felt better with less fuel. It was the best we could do today."

Mercedes also enthusiastically celebrated Antonelli's third place finish - and first time in the top three - at 18 years, 9 months and 21 days, becoming the third youngest driver in history to stand on the podium, behind Verstappen (18 years, 7 months and 15 days) and Canadian Lance Stroll (18 years, 7 months and 27 days).

"It was very stressful! But I'm very happy," commented the Italian. "I got a good start, got into third place, and managed to stay there. In the last stint, I pushed too hard and damaged the front left wheel, so I'm happy to have finished on the podium."

"It was a really good day. It was absolutely a deserved victory," said Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff . "We controlled the race the entire time. George drove brilliantly and Kimi didn't crack under pressure, even with the McLaren right behind him."

The German team's happiness contrasted with McLaren's frustration, which gave its drivers the green light to fight and paid for it with a retirement.

Because with three laps remaining, in his eagerness to overtake Piastri, Norris tried to squeeze in on the left, where the gap between his teammate's car and the wall was too small . He ended up rear-ending the Australian's car, destroying his front left tire and wing and forcing him to retire. Piastri, meanwhile, suffered a puncture but managed to complete the race after pitting under yellow flags.

"I thought Oscar would move a little further to the right. I wasn't expecting anything easy from him. But in the end, it was all my mistake. I take full responsibility and I want to apologize to my entire team and to Oscar for trying something like that. It was a stupid thing for me," Norris admitted.

"I didn't see what happened. I was defending the inside, then I felt a little touch. I have to really see what happened," Piastri said. He added: "Lando apologized. It was a bit of an unfortunate incident on the straightaway. So, for me, it doesn't change anything. And I think that's how it should be because, ultimately, we're both trying to fight for a championship."

How did they react in the McLaren pit? "It's up to us, as a team, to show our full support for Lando," said Team Principal Andrea Stella . "The situation would be different if Lando hadn't taken responsibility and apologized. This is simply the result of a miscalculation, an error in judgment from a racing perspective, which obviously shouldn't happen, but which is also part of racing. This situation will be a very important learning point."

McLaren continues to dominate, with both drivers at the top of the standings and a significant lead in the constructors' championship, despite that incident at the end of the day and Mercedes' dream Sunday in Montreal.