Formula 1 live updates: Liam Lawson finishes seventh at Canadian Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli wins fourth straight
All the action from Formula One’s Canadian Grand Prix, from Montreal.
Next race: Monaco
Cameron McMillan
They go against in a few weeks as racing heads to Europe with the Monaco Grand Prix on Monday June 8, that's a 1am start for Kiwis. Last year Liam Lawson finished eighth, while helping teammate Isack Hadjar to a sixth place finish.
Cameron McMillan
Kimi Antonelli on the race
Cameron McMillan
"It was a really fun battle with George, we were on the limit and it was not easy today with the wind. One lap he locked up and I went in front, and then I locked up and he went ahead.
"It was a shame for him to have the failure as we would have had a close battle, but we will take it. A big thank you to the team.
"When I was on my own I had to manage the tyres, as I had some graining but we had the good pace so now looking forward to the next one."
How the standings look
Cameron McMillan
Kimi Antonelli moves to 131 points, well clear of teammate George Russell in 88.
Liam Lawson remains 10th but now sits on 16 points, four back from Pierre Gasly.
Seventh for Liam Lawson
Cameron McMillan
A strong day for the Kiwi who started in 12th, although started the race in 11th when teammate Arvid Lindblad didn't actually race. Now he has to wait on a possible penalty.
The Kiwi could drop to eighth, as stewards investigate an incident at the start of the race where Lawson is alleged to have been out of place under a yellow flag.
Alex Powell's report
Cameron McMillan
Kimi Antonelli wins the Canadian Grand Prix
Cameron McMillan
His fourth straight win. The first driver to win four in a row after their maiden win.
Lap 68 of 68 - Last lap
Cameron McMillan
And they go for one more lap. Lawson now 1.8 seconds ahead o Gasly.
Lap 67 of 68
Cameron McMillan
Liam Lawson and Pierre Gasly go side by side and both slightly go off the track. Lawson remains in seventh.
Lap 64 of 68
Cameron McMillan
At the front Kimi Antonelli almost 10 seconds clear as he's in line for a fourth straight grand prix win.
Lap 62 of 68 - Hamilton into second
Cameron McMillan
Sir Lewis Hamilton moves into second with a slick move on the outside.
Lap 60 of 68 - Lawson to finish on softs?
Cameron McMillan
Looks like the softs could hold on until the end as he continues to hold of Gasly for now. Just eight laps to go. A top 10 looks likely for the Kiwi.
Lap 56 of 68 - Battle for second
Cameron McMillan
Sir Lewis Hamilton closing in on Max Verstappen for second place. Hamilton has a record seven wins on this track. First might be too far away today though.
Lap 55 of 68 - Gasly right behind Lawson
Cameron McMillan
The Alpine under a second behind the Kiwi but Lawson continues to hold into seventh place. Six points on offer for seventh place.
Lap 54 of 68 - Another virtual safety car
Cameron McMillan
It ends after something cleaning up. Isack Hadjar takes the chance to head into the pits and serve a 10 second penalty.
Lap 50 of 68
Cameron McMillan
The leaders lap Lawson which actually helps a bit as he stops Pierre Gasly from making a move.
Lap 46 of 68 - Virtual safety car is out
Cameron McMillan
Sergio Perez left something behind on entering pit lane so that needs to be cleaned up.
Back to racing. All set up for a strong finish. At the front Kimi Antonelli leads Max Verstappen by 4.2 seconds. Sir Lewis Hamilton after 3.3 seconds back.
For now, Liam Lawson doing well to hold off Pierre Gasly who is now 3.1 seconds behind him.
Sergio Perez becomes the sixth car to retire
Cameron McMillan
Lap 42 of 68 - Lawson retaining seventh
Cameron McMillan
He has Pierre Gasly 2.9 seconds behind him on the hard tyre. Lawson will have to pit again. He's 13 seconds back from sixth placed Franco Colapinto.
And now Lando Norris is out
Cameron McMillan
Gearbox issues. So the pressure goes off Lawson for now.
Lap 39 of 68 - Lando Norris closing in on Lawson
Cameron McMillan
The McLaren is now right behind Lawson in the battle for seventh.
Alex Powell
Alex Powell: We're now hearing that Lawson's investigation won't take place until after the race.
Lap 36 of 68 - Hadjar and Leclerc almost touch
Cameron McMillan
Isack Hadjar and Charles Leclerc almost collide as the Ferrari looks to pass. The Red Bull could be hit with a penalty as he made a late move to block.
Alex Powell
Alex Powell: Looks like Colapinto hit the wall on the pit exit, and has suffered front wing damage.
This race is mental.
Lap 33 of 68 - Power unit failure for George Russell
Cameron McMillan
He becomes the fourth driver out for the day. Fernando Alonso also calls it quits. He faces a fine after throwing his head rest onto the track in frustration. You can't do that.
Alex Powell
Alex Powell: Lawson's fitted a set of soft tyres? Not sure what the plan is here.
Are they going to attack Colapinto in front? Unless the rain arrives soon, he could be forced back into the pits later on.
Gasly has put on a set of hards, so can conceivably finish the race without stopping again.
Lap 31 of 68 - Kimi Antonelli into the lead
Cameron McMillan
A big chance now for Kimi Antonelli for a fourth straight race win. A few cars head into the pits including Lawson.
We are under yellow as they clear Russell's car.
Leader George Russell is out
Cameron McMillan
Russell was in front and that's his day. Amazing. He just cut across a grass patch and then parked up. Must have been an issue leading into that.
Lap 28 of 68 - Another lead change
Cameron McMillan
George Russell is back in front with Kimi Antonelli right behind him still. They'll have to decide on what to do with pit stops soon.
Lap 24 of 68 - Kimi Antonelli takes the lead
Cameron McMillan
Eventually Kimi Antonelli gets by his teammate.
Alex Powell
Alex Powell: Four drivers are being investigated for a yellow flag infringement at the start of the race, including Lawson.
Hulkenberg, Bearman and Alonso also cited.
Here's hoping that Lindblad's non-start means enough mitigation that no one is penalised.
Lap 20 of 68 - Lawson looking good in eighth
Cameron McMillan
Liam Lawson is five seconds behind Colapinto and has a decent nine second advantage on Pierre Gasly.
Lap 18 of 68 - More Mercedes drama at the front
Cameron McMillan
The two teammates go wheel-to-wheel again and once again Russell wins and keeps the lead. Great racing.
Alex Powell
Alex Powell: Lawson's opened up a gap of nearly nine seconds to the car behind him, Gasly.
If he can just bring this home he should finish in the points. The rain, if and when it comes, should be huge for how this race plays out.
Lando Norris back into the pits
Cameron McMillan
"A reliability problem". And rejoins in 14th but that's good news for Lawson who had the McLaren behind him.
Yellow flag - Issue for Alex Albon
Cameron McMillan
The Williams is now done for the day. Still under yellow with track hazard. Liam Lawson remains in eighth. He is four seconds back from Colapinto.
Lap 12 - Lando Norris on the move
Cameron McMillan
Norris now into ninth and has Liam Lawson behind him.
At the front George Russell retakes the lead from teammate Kimi Antonelli. The two Mercedes go wheel-to-wheel.
Alex Powell
Alex Powell: The McLarens are the big worry here. Norris is already up to 11th, and will be able to go long on the medium tyres once other drivers ahead start pitting.
Nico Hulkenberg speeding in pit lane
Cameron McMillan
Five second penalty for him.
Russell takes the lead!
Alex Powell
Antonelli locks up at turn 16 and is forced wide! Russell takes the lead!
Alex Powell
Lawson and Colapinto are the only drivers in the top 10 on medium tyres.
They'll hopefully be able to go long, with everyone else on the softs, meaning they'll have to change them earlier.
Alex Powell
Antonelli, Russell and Hamilton are the top three.
Max Verstappen is fourth, and is lapping quickest of the 21 drivers on track.
Alex Powell
Lawson is currently eighth, and in the points.
He's more than a second back from Colapinto in seventh, but still plenty of time to go, as we wait for the rain.
Alex Powell
Antonelli is 0.6s faster than his teammate.
More drivers pit
Alex Powell
All drivers that started on the intermediates have changed to softs.
Norris pits!
Alex Powell
Both McLarens change off the intermediates!
Antonelli takes the lead of the race, Lawson moves up into eighth place.
Piastri pits!
Alex Powell
Piastri has gone for the pits to change his intermediate tyres.
Lawson climbs to ninth as a result.
Lap 1
Alex Powell
Russell drops to third behind Norris and Antonelli.
Lawson has climbed up to 10th ahead of Hulkenberg.
The race has been reduced to 68 laps.
Alex Powell
Norris takes the lead into turn one, and keeps it!
LIGHTS OUT!
Alex Powell
We're away!
Ready to go?
Alex Powell
Let's try this again.
Lindblad out
Alex Powell
The Racing Bulls is wheeled back into the garage.
Looks like his day is done.
Race reduced by one lap
Alex Powell
The extra formation lap means we'll only have 69 laps.
Another formation lap
Alex Powell
Looks like we'll have a third formation lap while we wait for Lindblad, who's now being wheeled back to pit lane.
Blessing in disguise for the McLarens?
Alex Powell
If they start on intermediates, and change for hards after the first lap, they can complete the rest of the race on the one set of tyres.
This could be a masterstroke.
McLaren mistake
Alex Powell
Piastri is now saying it's too dry for intermediates, will the two McLarens have to start from the pits as well?
This is insane!
Lindblad out?!
Alex Powell
The Racing Bulls is being wheeled back to the pits!
Is he out of the race, or will he have to start from pit lane.
Hold on
Alex Powell
False start for Antonelli, and the lights don't go out?!
They'll have an extra formation lap, and Lindblad's car doesn't start!
Drama before we even begin!
Alex Powell
The last drivers are making their way back to the grid, Lance Stroll in the pits will see everyone back.
Intermediates
Alex Powell
Both McLarens, Hulkenberg, Sainz, and the two Cadillacs are the drivers on intermediates.
They'll have more grip, but will be a lot slower than the drivers around them.
Rain is falling lightly, but expected to get heavier over the race.
Formation lap underway
Alex Powell
They're away! Six drivers have started on intermediates, 16 are on slicks.
Someone's gotten this wrong, then...
Tyre choices
Alex Powell
It looks like the Ferraris and Red Bulls will start on slicks, both McLarens are on intermediates.
Lawson is listed as being on the mediums.
Not long to go now...
Alex Powell
About five minutes away from the formation lap.
All eyes are still on the sky though.
Max Verstappen:
Alex Powell
The former world champion adds his thoughts:
"Slippery when wet."
Lando Norris
Alex Powell
The world champion just offered his thoughts on his way to the grid:
"It's going to be slidy".
There ya go, then.
Lawson in the wet
Alex Powell
For anyone worrying at home, Liam Lawson is quietly very good in wet conditions.
Flashback to Brazil 2024, and the Kiwi was able to hold on to ninth place in pretty awful conditions, when he was a much less experienced driver.
Conditions
Alex Powell
At the moment, the track is a very cold 17 degrees. This time last year, it was closer to 50.
Getting heat into tyres is going to be tough during the early laps, so watch out for anything crazy.
Tyre choices
Alex Powell
Drivers are now facing a pretty tricky decision. With the rain falling, it might be too dangerous to use the slick tyres, with intermediates the better option.
The reconnaissance laps have all been on slicks, but the amount of rain - even if it's still very light - is changing the track.
Just under 30 minutes to lights out.
First drivers out on track
Alex Powell
Cars are starting to head out to the track for their reconnaissance laps.
Normally, this wouldn't be something to get excited for.
Since Oscar Piastri binned his McLaren on the reconnaissance lap in Melbourne, it's something to keep an eye on.
The day Kiwis ruled the Canadian Grand Prix
Alex Powell
Kiwi Denny Hulme won the 1968 Canadian Grand Prix when it was raced at Mont-Tremblant, Bruce McLaren was second after another Kiwi Chris Amon led for the first 72 laps before his Ferrari's transmission failed with 17 laps to go.
Just six of the 22 entrants finished the race with Hulme a full lap ahead of McLaren - while racing in a McLaren.
Rain has started to fall
Alex Powell
Just like that.
It's only light at this point, but rain will change this race into an entirely different affair.
Still just over 50 minutes until we get underway, so here's hoping it can carry on for a bit longer!
Starting grid confirmed
Alex Powell
Just the one change from yesterday's qualifying, then.
Stroll starts in the pits, but every other driver is good to go.
However, as we've already seen multiple times this season, there's a very real chance something else happens to someone before lights out...
Sprint race report
Alex Powell
In case you missed yesterday's sprint, it was definitely one of Lawson's better races.
No driver gained more places than the Kiwi (seven), the only issue came from the fact he started so far back.
Racing Bulls car upgrades have clearly worked this weekend, so it'll be good to see some more of the same over the course of a full race distance.
Russell on pole
Alex Powell
Yesterday was a crucial win for Mercedes' senior driver. With teammate Kimi Antonelli looking more and more like a championship favourite, Russell qualifying first was a huge statement.
Russell won here from pole last year, and doing so again could be the shot in the arm his own title push needs.
Starting grid changes
Alex Powell
News in from the FIA, Lance Stroll will start from pit lane.
The Aston Martin driver has changed his energy store and control electronics in his power unit, so takes the hit under Parc Ferme laws.
Stroll only qualified 21st out of 22 cars, so not a major change to the running order.
Weather update
Alex Powell
Bad news - kinda.
The forecast rain has stayed away for now, but it does look bleak out there.
Fingers crossed the heavens open at some point this morning.
How has Liam Lawson gone?
Alex Powell
It's been a tough weekend for the Kiwi, so far.
Saturday (NZT) saw him restricted to just five laps in practice, before a hydraulic leak wiped out his sprint qualifying session.
Yesterday, though, there were positive signs. No driver made more passes in the sprint than Lawson's seven, thanks in part to Racing Bulls' upgrades for this weekend.
In qualifying he was just 0.040s shy of reaching the top 10, and will start 12th as a result.
But we've already seen enough to suggest things could go his way later this morning.
Kia ora!
Alex Powell
Good morning! We're a couple of hours away from lights out in Canada, but there's plenty to bring you before then.
Qualifying wrap
Alex Powell
Liam Lawson misses top 10 start in Canada by hundredths of a second
Liam Lawson has finished just four hundredths of a second shy of starting inside the top 10 at Formula One’s Canadian Grand Prix.
The Kiwi set the 12th best time of Sunday’s (NZT) qualifying session at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, on a day that also saw him take 11th in the sprint race.
While he’ll be disappointed by missing the chance at the top 10 after being eliminated , Lawson and Racing Bulls can take encouragement from their performances.
A hydraulic leak on Saturday saw Lawson limited to just five laps, and missed sprint qualifying altogether. And yet, come the sprint race, Lawson turned a 17th place start into an 11th place finish, and made more passes than any other driver.
That sprint drive saw him make up seven places in 23 laps, while the full-length grand prix is 70 laps.
“I’m sorry,” he said afterwards. “It was so badly driven.”
“Maybe it was a bit messy from our side,” his race engineer Alexandre Iliopoulos replied.
Racing Bulls have introduced a significant upgrade package for the Canadian Grand Prix, evidenced by Lawson’s pace in the sprint, and teammate Arvid Lindblad starting in the top 10 by qualifying ninth.
At the front of the grid, Mercedes’ George Russell took pole position to go alongside his sprint race victory from earlier in the day. Russell was just 0.068s quicker than teammate Kimi Antonelli, who will start second.
The pair face an intriguing run into the first corner, after coming wheel to wheel during the sprint, and even forcing team boss Toto Wolff to intervene and tell Antonelli to calm down. Antonelli currently leads the championship, the youngest driver to ever do so.
McLaren continued its recovery after a slow start to the year, after Lando Norris took third, 0.151s back from Russell, with teammate Oscar Piastri locking out the second row in fourth.
After missing the entirety of sprint qualifying on Saturday, Lawson wasted no time in getting on track in Q1, attempting to advance.
By the time all drivers had set a lap, Lawson had posted a lap of 1m 16.117s good enough for 13th place, but just 0.282s clear of safety.
With plenty of time to improve, the Kiwi did just that, and moved inside the top 10 with a lap of 1m 14.346s to put distance between himself and elimination.
By the time Q1 ended, that time was good enough for 11th place, and 0.429s clear, albeit 0.451s behind Lindblad, who took seventh in the session.
Into Q2, where Lawson’s first push lap of 1m 16.71s was deleted for exceeding track limits. And while he was able to improve to 1m 13.897s - his best effort of the weekend - it was agonisingly short of joining his teammate in Q3.
The Canadian Grand Prix begins at 8am on Monday morning.
Canadian Grand Prix starting grid
Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.