F1 Canadian GP winners and losers: Has Lando Norris blown title hopes?

George Russell took Mercedes’ first win of the 2025 F1 season as McLaren’s inevitable intra-team collision finally happened at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Here are our biggest winners and losers from a quiet race which took a dramatic late twist…

Loser - Lando Norris

What was Lando Norris thinking? The Briton will come away from Canada kicking himself after making a critical error in colliding with McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri while battling for fourth place.

Eventual contact between the title-duelling McLaren pair may have always been a likelihood, but this coming together felt like one which could - and should - have been avoided.

Norris was over ambitious and badly misjudged his attempt to re-pass Piastri down the inside of the main straight, leading to contact and race-ending damage. He acknowledged he messed up and accepted full blame.

The mistake leaves Norris 22 points behind Piastri in their fight for the championship. It’s not too late to turn his campaign around, but the Briton has just made his quest a whole lot harder.

Winner - Oscar Piastri

On the flip side of the coin, Piastri comes away from Montreal as a winner.

This was not a great weekend for McLaren, who were unusually off the pace compared to Mercedes and Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, but Piastri crucially leaves Montreal in a healthier championship position than when he arrived.

Piastri was fortunate that the late Safety Car enabled him to pit for repairs and hold onto fourth position, meaning that despite the collision with Norris, he has managed to extend his championship lead over his non-finishing McLaren teammate.

Loser - Ferrari

It was another lacklustre showing from Ferrari in Montreal after early flashes of promise leading into qualifying came to nothing. A potential challenge for pole never materialised with Lewis Hamilton only fifth and Charles Leclerc a frustrated eighth after an error ruined his Q3 lap.

Ferrari went on to finish fifth and sixth but were in no man’s land during the race. Hamilton’s afternoon was wrecked after hitting a groundhog damaged his car, but both Ferraris lacked pace, leading the seven-time world champion to call  for more upgrades.

It is a performance that will do little to ease the pressure and spotlight on the team amid rumours surrounding the future of Fred Vasseur.

Winner - George Russell and Mercedes

Mercedes’ dominance in Canada defied expectations as the team appeared to overcome their heat struggles.

Mercedes hoped to be competitive in cooler conditions in Montreal, but were more cautious about their chances when temperatures rose on Sunday. Nevertheless, Russell was able to control the race and convert pole position into the win as Mercedes finally got off the mark in 2025.

What’s more, Kimi Antonelli had a strong run to third in the other Mercedes as he claimed his maiden podium. The double podium lifts the Silver Arrows above Ferrari and up to second in the championship.

Loser - Williams

Canada was a missed opportunity for Williams, whose strong practice form failed to translate into the rest of the weekend, which ended up being one filled with disappointment.

Alex Albon lost ground early on following a trip over the grass and was left frustrated by his team’s one-stop strategy, before a power unit failure brought a wretched day to a premature end.

Carlos Sainz at least salvaged a point thanks to Norris’s late retirement but the Spaniard was left rueing what could have been after being impeded in qualifying left him further down the order than he should have been.

Winner - Max Verstappen

Verstappen couldn’t have hoped for a much better weekend. His main priority was to avoid picking up a penalty point that would have triggered a race ban for Red Bull's home race in Austria, and the four-time world champion stayed out of trouble.

It was a clean and impressive showing in Canada from Verstappen, who batted away constant questions about the threat of a suspension and did his talking on the track.

A brilliant second place has seen Verstappen cut the gap to both McLaren drivers in the world championship to keep him in the title hunt. The Dutchman is now 43 points adrift of Piastri, and has closed to 21 points of Norris.

Loser - Lance Stroll

A truly disastrous home race for Lance Stroll, who made his comeback from a hand and wrist injury which forced him to pull out of the previous race in Spain.

Stroll crashed in practice, was 18th slowest in qualifying and was nowhere in the race. Capping off a woeful weekend, the Canadian picked up a 10-second time penalty for forcing Pierre Gasly’s Alpine off track. 

Winner - Fernando Alonso

In contrast to his Aston Martin teammate, Fernando Alonso enjoyed a fantastic weekend in Montreal.

A superb performance in qualifying saw Alonso claim sixth on the grid which the 43-year-old Spaniard turned into P7 and best of the rest - behind only the two Mercedes, Verstappen’s Red Bull, Piastri’s McLaren and the two Ferraris. This was a vintage Alonso display.

Loser - Racing Bulls

On a weekend their midfield rivals Williams, Haas, Aston Martin and Sauber all scored points, Racing Bulls lacked pace and came away from Canada empty-handed.

Isack Hadjar’s fine qualifying form continued but a three-place grid drop for impeding Sainz’s Williams dented his hopes of a top-10 finish, while Liam Lawson’s torrid weekend was capped when he retired with an overheating car.

Winner - Nico Hulkenberg

Nico Hulkenberg’s experience continues to prove a valuable asset for Sauber as the German veteran turned in an opportunistic, under-the-radar drive to bag a solid eighth place.

Back-to-back points finishes for Hulkenberg and Sauber moves the team to within touching distance of eighth-placed Aston Martin, and just eight points behind Haas and Racing Bulls in sixth and seventh.