MONTREAL, May 24 (Reuters) – George Russell retired from the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday with a power unit failure after a thrilling wheel-to-wheel battle for the lead with Mercedes teammate and Formula One world championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
Italian Antonelli, chasing his fourth win in a row and 18 points clear of Russell after Saturday’s sprint race won by the Briton, took over at the front.
Russell had started on pole position in Montreal for the third year in succession with his 19-year-old teammate alongside on the front row. The car slowed and stopped by the side of the track on lap 30 of 68.
Russell thumped the car with his hands and threw the headrest out, a gesture noted by race control, before stepping clear as the virtual safety car was deployed.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ed Osmond)
