Formula 1 descends on Montreal for the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix this weekend with a championship picture that seemed impossible to imagine three months ago. The 19-year-old Italian player is on top with 20 points. The four-time defending champion is in seventh place. McLaren is retreating. And somewhere in the middle of all this, a frustrated Scuderia Ferrari is trying to figure out how a major upgrade package produced a 10-point weekend.

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has a way of breaking everything. It rewards braking confidence, punishes over-aggressiveness and serves safety cars on cue. This is the kind of place where the championship story can turn in 70 laps.

Can Kimi Antonelli win the Canadian Grand Prix? Here are five stories that will shape the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix.

1. Kimi Antonelli moves into Wall of Champions conversation

With three Grand Prix wins, three poles and 100 points, Kimi Antonelli arrives in Montreal as the first driver in F1 history to win his first three races from pole position, and based on the evidence so far, the Mercedes is the fastest car in the field.

But the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a long memory for young drivers who think they have the game figured out. The Wall of Champions did not get its name by chance. Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve all left paint on it in 1999. Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button and Pastor Maldonado have all kissed it since then.

Antonelli has been close to being blameless. Their starts have been terrible, their comebacks have been brutal. Montreal will test whether the rookie can manage a low-downforce circuit with a 20-point lead in his pocket and teammates breathing down his neck.

This is where the championship story either rests or breaks.

2. George Russell’s time is running out

Antonelli’s teammate, George Russell, is 20 points behind in the Drivers’ Championship standings and has really shown no inclination to fight for the lead despite having the same car. He will be looking for a spark at the track where he won in 2025 after holding off a fired-up Verstappen.

Russell has finished on the podium in two of the last three rounds, while his rookie teammate is on his way to victory. Britain has not complained publicly, but the math is starting to look ugly. If Antonelli wins again in Montreal, Russell will blow away the Canadian in just five rounds and be meaningfully out of a championship fight he should have won.

Montreal favors him. He won the pole and race there in 2025. They like the layout, if the weight comes in they are good at it and it is late.

If Russell doesn’t perform this weekend, Toto Wolff will have a tougher conversation than anyone expected.

RELATED: F1’s Mr Saturday, Meet Sunday: Is 2026 finally George Russell’s year?

3. Max Verstappen finally has something to work with

The 2026 season has been a public, ugly humiliation for four-time champion Max Verstappen. He is seventh in the championship with 26 points. Verstappen has openly questioned whether he wants to continue racing under the new rules, calling the cars a “joke”. Red Bull principal Laurent Mackies admitted that the team had “significant shortcomings” after the Chinese Grand Prix.

Then the Miami Grand Prix happened.

Verstappen kept Red Bull on the front row with Antonelli and fought hard for the podium, before a first lap spin compromised his race. He nevertheless recovered and raced towards P5. Makeys has since been careful with his words, but the message from Milton Keynes is clear: the corner has been turned.

Montreal is proof point for Red Bull and Verstappen. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a more traditional layout than Miami’s street circuit and will tell us whether Red Bull’s Miami Speed ​​was a one-off or the start of something real. If Verstappen is on the podium on Sunday, the rest of the grid has a problem. If he returns to midfield, discussion of his release clause and his October decision window becomes very intense.

4. McLaren is back in the conversation

Reigning world champion Lando Norris finished second in Miami and his teammate Oscar Piastri third, indicating a real resurgence for McLaren in 2026. The Papaya Cars looked like a team that had finally sorted out the package issues that had ruined their first three rounds.

Norris now sits fourth in the championship with 51 points and still looks to be alive in this title fight and Miami suggests he is starting to climb back into it.

The Canadian Grand Prix has historically been favorable to McLaren. Both cars needed to be on the podium to confirm that Miami is not a one-track outlier. Andrea Stella’s team has talent and resources. What they didn’t have in 2026 was a clean weekend with both cars in the top three.

Get it in Montreal and the championship picture will change.

5. Ferrari needed an answer and it still needs it

Ferrari entered the 2026 Miami Grand Prix with 11 upgrades on the SF-26, including floor changes, suspension geometry and changes to the rear wing. After a five-week break Fred Vasseur’s Scuderia had the most aggressive development effort of any team on the grid.

They walked away with 10 marks and more questions than answers.

Charles Leclerc led the opening lap, slid to the rear during the race, then reached the podium on the final lap with a spin at Turn 3. A subsequent 20-second penalty dropped him to eighth behind the Alpines of teammate Lewis Hamilton and Franco Colapinto. “It’s all on me,” Leclerc told Sky Sports F1. he was right. He was also calling for an internal investigation into the drop in car speed on the medium compound by the end of the weekend.

Hamilton remained a few tenths behind his teammate throughout the weekend and finished outside the top five in every session. Nico Rosberg called the Scuderia’s weekend on Sky “clumsy”. He was polite.

This is the big problem. Mercedes withheld its major upgrade package for Canada. McLaren brought him to Miami and dominated the sprint. Ferrari spent its development plans in Florida and got nothing back. If the SF-26 cannot find race pace in Montreal with a fresh package already on the car, the Scuderia is no longer fighting for the championship. It is struggling to hold on to third place in the constructors’ list.

Leclerc has won in Montreal before. Hamilton has won there seven times. The history is there. The car, right now, is not there.

Scott Gulbransen, a quintessential expert in the field of sports journalism, serves as an editor, nfl , mlb , Formula 1 … More about Scott Gulbransen

Formula 1 is back. After a five-week break after Japan – the longest mid-season break in recent memory – the circuit returns to Hard Rock Stadium this weekend for the 2026 Miami Grand Prix. It’s also sprint weekend. The rules have changed. The situation is wild. And the title picture of the most dramatic early season in years is about to get its first real test on American soil.

Here’s what to see Sunday at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium.

Follow all the Miami Grand Prix action: Watch the race live on Apple TV+

1. Does Antonelli stay in the brightest light of the calendar?

Kimi Antonelli has won two races, led the championship, and broken Lewis Hamilton’s record as the youngest driver to top the standings. He’s done it all in Australia, China and Japan – circuits with serious racing pedigrees and relatively controlled environments.

Miami is different.

This is not a technical driver circuit with a respectable crowd. It draws 100,000 people, celebrity sightings, boat activations and a paddock that runs at full volume from Thursday morning. It is the loudest, most produced, most deliberate American event on the F1 calendar. Antonelli never finished a race weekend as the points leader. She’s never had to manage what this attention looks like in a city specifically designed to amplify it.

Antonelli, 19, has created a remarkable career so far. Miami will tell us something new about who she is.

2.McLaren comes out with a new car

Reigning constructor champion McLaren has had a nightmare start. Oscar Piastri could not start the first two races. Reigning driver champion Lando Norris is not on the podium. The MCL40 has been the third fastest car on the grid this weekend, 89 points behind Mercedes.

The Papaya team has spent five weeks fixing the car. Will it make a difference?

McLaren is expected to debut a significant upgrade package in Miami – described by multiple reports as close to an all-new car – featuring modifications to the floor, aerodynamics and rear suspension, designed to close the gap to the Mercedes and widen the car’s working window. Piastri almost achieved victory in Japan. With a full race weekend of upgrades and data, McLaren could be really dangerous here. Whether the package delivers or whether it’s another step in the right direction that still falls short of them, it sets the tone for the entire second leg of the season.

3. New rules hit Miami: Will racing really look different?

The FIA’s mid-season regulation package comes into effect at the end of this week. Following data from three races, F1 called an emergency meeting in which four unanimous changes were made: lowered super clipping limits to cut lift-and-coast times, limiting power deployment into corners to address dangerous closing speeds, a new race start detection system to improve safety, and updated wet weather protocols.

The goal is more flat-out driving and fewer moments where drivers are managing energy rather than racing. In theory, this should generate more wheel-to-wheel action. In practice, Miami will be the first real test of whether any of this works. The sprint format adds a complication – teams will have to adapt their strategies to the new parameters in both the Saturday sprint and Sunday’s main event.

Look carefully at the first few corners. If the startup process changes, you will know immediately.

4. George Russell needs to make a statement

George Russell wins the 2026 Australian Grand Prix. He is second in the championship, nine points behind, in the same car as the leader. On paper, it’s fine. In reality, Martin Brundle said it out loud in the quiet section: Russell needs to treat his 19-year-old team-mate like peak Lewis Hamilton or risk seeing the season slip away from him.

The five-week break was publicly framed as a reset. Personally, the pressure on Russell to go to Miami is real. Russell has so much F1 experience that no one on the grid would have expected Antonelli to compete with him any time soon. he has a car. He has a track record. Miami is an opportunity for him to re-establish himself as the championship favorite he was considered before the season started. A win here completely changes the story.

The result of finishing second behind Antonelli is the opposite.

5. Can anyone from outside Mercedes win this race?

Mercedes has won all Grands Prix in 2026. Russell and Antonelli have secured front row positions in qualifying in all three rounds. Ferrari has been competitive – Charles Leclerc is third in the championship, but has yet to score a win. The McLaren, as mentioned, comes with upgrades but with unproven pace.

Miami’s circuit characteristics may matter here. The 19-turn layout and Florida’s hot weekend tendency for tire degradation has historically rewarded teams that can manage tires late in the race. The new power unit rules have altered performance in ways that are not yet fully understood, and mid-season rule changes introduce variables for which no one has real-world data.

If any circuit on the calendar is going to produce F1’s first non-Mercedes winner in 2026, it’s it. Leclerc has the pace to challenge. The timing of McLaren’s upgrade is deliberate. And Verstappen – winless and frustrated – knows Miami. He has won here before also.

This trend will end at the end of this week, otherwise it will be very difficult to stop.

Watch all the action from the 2026 Miami Grand Prix: Watch Race Week on Apple TV+

Scott Gulbransen, a quintessential expert in the field of sports journalism, serves as an editor, nfl , mlb , Formula 1…More about Scott Gulbransen

Istanbul Park is coming back to F1, and now is the time.

Formula 1 will return to Türkiye as the Turkish Grand Prix makes its return to the Istanbul Park Circuit. The event will take place in 2027 and will be part of the calendar for a five-year tenure until 2031. Formula 1 announced this on Friday.

Watch the Miami Grand Prix: Watch F1 only on Apple TV+

History of F1 in Türkiye

The Turkish Grand Prix last appeared on the calendar in 2020 and 2021. It was a race that surprised everyone and instantly gained huge popularity, and it looks like it will remain a permanent fixture on the Formula 1 calendar. Lewis Hamilton won at the track in wet and humid conditions in 2020.

From 2005 to 2011 the Turkish Grand Prix was held at the Istanbul Park Circuit, one of the most spectacular designs on the F1 calendar. Since 2012, the event has not been held due to a dispute between F1 and Turkish organizers over hosting fees. Both sides lost, and it is hard to understand why they could not compromise. Because they failed to do so, F1 has had to race on some very poor circuits in recent years.

Why the Turkish Grand Prix at Istanbul Park matters

This 3.3-mile road course has many elevation changes and is a very challenging track for drivers. Turn 8 is still the most famous corner on the track and the one most drivers miss. That long, slow-developing left arm demands more and more commitment until it’s too late to bail.

The Turkish race joins the Portugal race in Portimão, filling the void left by Zandvoort. Additionally, Barcelona and Spa will now alternate every other year, for better or for worse.

Turkey’s return to the calendar means every race on the 2027 F1 schedule is now contracted and held on licensed tracks, with the 2023 calendar now complete. Although it may seem like a closed book, there is room in the 2028 program for a return to Africa – possibly in a different location.

Istanbul has finally been added to the list. It took a long time, but it was worth it to get there.

Scott Gulbransen, a quintessential expert in the field of sports journalism, serves as an editor, nfl , mlb , Formula 1 … More about Scott Gulbransen

Formula 1 is already undergoing a significant change to the 2026 rules in just the blink of an eye, taking effect in Miami.

The FIA ​​called an online meeting with team principals, power unit manufacturer CEOs and Formula One management on Monday, following data from three races from Australia, China and Japan. The result: unanimous agreement on a four-part package of 2026 Formula 1 rule changes that will reshape the performance of these cars for the remainder of the season.

F1 addresses superclipping glitch as part of changes

The title change takes aim at superclipping – the dreaded phenomenon where drivers spend too many laps harvesting energy instead of actually racing. The maximum permitted recharge has been reduced from 8 MJ (megajoules) to 7 MJ, and the peak Superclip power has been increased from 250 kW to 350 kW. The intention is simple: spend less time recharging, more time relaxing. Under the new parameters, the duration of the superclip should be reduced by approximately two to four seconds per lap. It’s a meaningful reduction from what fans saw in the initial run.

For racing, the boost system also has its limits. The 150 kW current power level at the time of activation is specifically designed to prevent the jerky, sudden performance fluctuations that occur when a driver presses the deployment button. The MGU-K will still pump out 350kW from corner exit to braking point, through acceleration zones, but will drop to 250kW elsewhere on the lap. The closing speed was becoming dangerous. It solves that problem without overtaking.

Watch all the Formula 1 action live at the Miami Grand Prix: Now available on Apple TV+

Race starts are changing for the remainder of 2026

Race starts are also addressed, although that piece is on a slightly different timeline. A new detection system will identify cars with abnormally low acceleration off the line and automatically trigger MGU-K deployment to ensure safe minimums. Flashing rear and side lights will warn following drivers. Miami is a test case, where full adoption will take place after an analysis of how it performs there.

Wet weather rules revamped for Miami Grand Prix and beyond

Attention was also paid to wet weather. The intermediate tire blanket temperature is being increased based on direct driver feedback, ERS deployment has been reduced in low-grip conditions and the rear lights are being simplified for better visibility through the spray.

The 2026 Formula 1 regulation changes still need to be approved by an e-vote of the FIA ​​World Motor Sport Council after being agreed, but given the unanimous stakeholder agreement on Monday, this is a formality. Miami is the turning point for the 2026 season – on and off the track.

Scott Gulbransen, a quintessential expert in the field of sports journalism, serves as an editor, nfl , mlb , Formula 1…More about Scott Gulbransen

The 2026 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka had it all on Sunday – start chaos, a 50G crash, safety car drama, and a teenager rewriting the record books. The stories of the three races in 2026 are already writing themselves.

Here’s who has advanced and who is seeing the season end.

Watch: Be sure to watch all the Formula 1 action on Apple TV+ this season!

Winner: Kimi Antonelli | mercedes

Kimi Antonelli got off to a bad start. A wheelspin off the line dropped him from pole to sixth before the first corner sequence was over. Under normal circumstances, that’s how you lose the race at Suzuka.

Nothing seems normal about Kimmy Antonelli right now.

When the safety car came out on lap 22 due to Oliver Bearman’s heavy crash, Antonelli – who had not yet pitted and was temporarily leading – made a free stop to turn the race into the lead. From there, he just didn’t survive. He pulled. He crossed the line by almost 14 seconds over Oscar Piastri, his second consecutive victory.

Here’s the part that will leave you cold: At 19 years, 6 months and 25 days old, Antonelli is now the youngest driver in Formula 1 history to lead the world championship.He broke the record of Lewis Hamilton, whom he replaced at Mercedes. Hamilton first achieved the top spot in 2007 at the age of 22. Antonelli did this work at the age of three years.

He Having completed three races out of 22, he is nine points ahead of his teammate George Russell. The season is long. But the child is real.

Winner: Oscar Piastri mclaren

The start of the season was not exactly good for Piastri. A Accident in Australia. A mechanical failure in China. His first race of 2026 started on Sunday.

He calculated it. Piastri made a great start from third to take the lead into Turn 1, running at the front for most of the afternoon, and finished second – McLaren’s first podium of the campaign.

He now sits sixth in the championship despite not spinning a single wheel in the competition until Suzuka. This is truly a remarkable situation. The pace was there. The hunger was obvious. When McLaren gets all its pieces in order, Piastri is going to be a factor in this thing. Sunday was a reminder.

Winner: Charles Leclerc | ferrari

Third place doesn’t always feel like winning. For Charles Leclerc, given the circumstances, it makes sense.

he had to Hold off a charging George Russell in the closing laps to hold on to the final podium position. Russell had the pace, Ferrari had the pressure and Leclerc held firm. He admitted afterwards that he wasn’t completely satisfied with third, which honestly tells you how much the mentality has changed at Maranello.

it’s a ferrari Still second in the constructors’ standings, 45 points behind Mercedes after three races. The loss is real. But the car is not disappointing, and Leclerc continues to perform well. This is why Ferrari is still in the news.

Loser: George Russell mercedes

Russell started from the right place on the grid. Then, as the race started, he was no longer in the right place. He was running third when Oscar Bearman crashed, given that he had already pitted and the safety car was of no benefit to him.

Russell publicly stated that a margin of one lap would probably have resulted in victory. He is not wrong. He is not even leading the championship. Antonelli has now regained that distinction, and the intra-team dynamics at Mercedes have become more interesting in Miami.

Loser: Max Verstappen red Bull

Max Verstappen crashed out in Q2 and finished 11th at the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix – an unfamiliar place for a driver who usually cares about the circuit. In a race where strategy and starting position matter so much, this was already a significant hole to dig out of. He managed to reach 8th place, but was held off by Pierre Gasly in a long battle for 7th place.

Verstappen is now 9th in the drivers’ standings – behind both Bearman and Gasly. Red Bull has 16 points after three rounds. The four-time champion has already raised the possibility of walking away from F1 at the end of the season if conditions do not improve. Whether it’s a statement of frustration or an actual threat, the car is clearly not close. Miami can’t come fast enough. For Red Bull, and those who enjoyed watching Verstappen actually race at the front, let’s hope they figure it out.

The five-week break before Miami gives each team time to regroup. For Antonelli, it is five weeks from becoming the youngest championship leader in Formula 1 history. There are worse problems at age 19.

Scott Gulbransen, a quintessential expert in the field of sports journalism, serves as an editor, nfl , mlb , More about Formula 1… Scott Gulbransen

Through two races, Ferrari is the second best team in Formula 1. This is good news. The bad news is that the second one is not particularly close to the first.

Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished on the podium in the opening two rounds, but Mercedes won both races with one-two finishes each time. The Scuderia remained fast enough to keep things interesting in the early stages, then saw Russell and Antonelli slip away while the red cars sorted out their problems. It’s a familiar sting dressed up in new rules.

What’s different this year – really different – ​​is what’s happening between the two drivers.

Internal rivalry could pose a big problem for Ferrari

Last year was a wasted opportunity for Ferrari. The car was never good enough to put Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in a position to actually race each other, so the rivalry everyone paid to see never materialized. China distributed it. The two continued back and forth through Shanghai for most of the afternoon. You had overtakes, re-overtakes, a brief moment of contact that Hamilton called “just a kiss” and only separated when Hamilton made a decisive move on lap 40 and went clear.

Russell, who trailed behind them for a significant portion of that battle, said it was some of the most aggressive racing he had seen in some time. High praise from the man who won the race.

hamilton China started looking like itself again – fast on the brakes, comfortable trading pants, quick to count. Lewis Hamilton’s showing at Ferrari is significant after scoring zero podiums in the 2025 season. The seven-time champion is not fading. he is awake.

But Ferrari cannot let that internal battle become every Sunday’s story. Charles Leclerc later admitted that the team probably did not optimize their race as both drivers opted to capture the podium rather than manage the deficit to Mercedes.

“I enjoyed the battle and the only big negative I would say is the gap to Mercedes, who on days like this, we can see they are a big step ahead of everyone else, so we have to work harder.”

Both drivers made the call immediately, and neither one was wrong. But Mercedes crossed the line 25 seconds earlier. That difference does not reduce on its own.

Ferrari needs Suzuka to be fruitful

The Suzuka Circuit is going to offer a valuable lesson for Ferrari, and it is one they are keen to learn. With its fast, flowing layout, this track prioritizes mechanical balance, and Ferrari’s SF-26 has already demonstrated its raw speed. while the team is Introducing a revised rear wing and updated halo winglets for the weekend, it’s holding off on the full upgrade package until Miami. This is no high-risk gamble for Ferrari; It’s like a complete reconnaissance mission.

Due to the upcoming event the results of Round 3 will be more far-reaching than usual. With the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix canceled in the wake of the Middle East conflict, the Japanese Grand Prix of Suzuka marks a significant pause in action, with the next event not on the calendar until May. As a result, whatever results Ferrari achieved in Japan would remain the only point of reference for over a month – a long period to grapple with any outstanding questions or concerns about their performance.

The 2026 Formula 1 season offers Lewis Hamilton “the perfect opportunity to change it” at Ferrari, according to his former teammate Jenson Button. 🗣️🔴 pic.twitter.com/DXTjL5ooLx

– Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) 17 February 2026

The ideal weekend looks something like this: both drivers finish on the podium, Ferrari keeps Mercedes honest for longer periods of time than in Melbourne and Shanghai, and the team walks away with data it can actually use. The Nightmare Edition is another entertaining Hamilton-Leclerc battle in which both of them waste time while Russell and Antonelli race to the front without any interruption.

Through two rounds, Hamilton has at least caught up with Leclerc. Given Charles Leclerc’s position in the sport right now, it says a lot about Lewis Hamilton’s form. The competition between them is real and worth watching. Ferrari just needs to create weapons aimed at Mercedes, not each other.

Scott Gulbransen, a quintessential expert in the field of sports journalism, serves as an editor, nfl , mlb , Formula 1 … More about Scott Gulbransen

Who won the NASCAR race today? NASCAR finished its weekend at the Circuit of the Americas with the Duramax Texas Grand Prix in Austin, Texas on Sunday afternoon. The first road course race of the season proved to be a good one, with history being made in Texas.

Let’s jump straight into the NASCAR results for COTA today. We’ll start with the Cup Series winner and Duramax Texas Grand Prix results from Austin, followed by today’s NASCAR stage results. As always, we’ve included the points earned by each driver below.

RELATED: NASCAR points leaders today after Circuit of the Americas

NASCAR Results Today: Duramax Grand Prix 2026

Here are the NASCAR Cup Series results for Sunday’s Duramax Texas Grand Prix at COTA.

RELATED: Winners, losers of NASCAR races today at COTA

NASCAR Stage Results COTA: Cup Series Stage Winners Today

Here are today’s NASCAR stage results for the Cup Series races at Circuit of the Americas.

RELATED: NASCAR O’Reilly Series results from COTA

Who won the NASCAR race today?

Tyler Reddick won a NASCAR race at COTA today, becoming the first driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win the first three races of the season.

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for SportsKnow. His work including weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson

After two superspeedway races to start the 2026 NASCAR season, the Cup Series now heads to Texas for its first road course of the year at COTA. This is an opportunity for many of the top drivers to move up in the points standings, who had a slow start in February.

There are two things worth noting regarding the Cup Series entry list. First, Jesse Love (No. 33) will be the only outside entrant to join the field of 36 full-time drivers. Additionally, Brad Keselowski could begin the race to remain eligible for points before being replaced by Joey Hand, as Keselowski is recovering from a broken foot suffered during the offseason.

RELATED: NASCAR weekend schedule for COTA

Here is the NASCAR entry list for the Cup Series drivers competing in Sunday’s race at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

NASCAR entry list this week: Cup Series at COTA

READ MORE: NASCAR Power Rankings before COTA

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson