The Hat-Trick Kid who has managed to stun his peers

At just 19, Kimi Antonelli has turned Formula 1 upside down. Three poles. Three wins. 100 points. And the season is only four races old. One wonders what is going through the minds of Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris and George Russell right now.

For Hamilton, settling into a new team and an unfamiliar car was always going to be tough. The chaos of adapting has at least provided some distraction from the sharper sting: the very Mercedes he was supposed to lead in the twilight of his career has instead placed its future in the hands of an unproven 19-year-old from Bologna, bypassing the most decorated driver in F1 history. Freshly crowned world champion Lando Norris must still be pinching himself. Barely weeks after finally realising his lifetime dream, he finds himself staring at a teenager who is already two full race wins ahead and operating on an entirely different planet.

Then there is George Russell — Mercedes’ original golden boy. His career script was beautifully written: soak up pressure from a seven-time world champion, outscore him consistently, and emerge as the team’s undisputed leader. That script now lies in tatters. The car is finally a rocket, winning in every condition, yet the driver stealing the spotlight is the one sitting in the other Mercedes garage. McLaren, the defending champions, look far stronger than in the messy opening rounds when they even failed to start a race. Recent performance upgrades have helped them close the gap to the Silver Arrows, but they must first deal with a resurgent Ferrari, who are desperately awaiting newer, more effective upgrades to keep pace with the dominant Mercedes-powered cars.

The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal is expected to suit Ferrari’s SF-26 better. Its combination of tight, low-speed corners, heavy traction zones and long straights rewards precise handling and strong mechanical grip rather than pure aerodynamic efficiency. A year ago, Mercedes dominated proceedings here, with Russell taking victory and a young Antonelli rounding off the podium. The Canadian Grand Prix has always been renowned for its drama, incidents and unpredictable weather. As Antonelli negotiates the famous ‘Wall of Champions’ lap after lap, all eyes will be on the Italian teenager.

The season has only just begun to hit its stride, yet the big question already looms large: Can the chasing pack finally keep the Hat-Trick Kid in sight this weekend?

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Round 5 | Canada | Monday, 25th May 01:30 am | F1TV & FanCode App

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