A MIX OF THINGS WE’VE SEEN BEFORE

I didn’t write about the Canadian Grand Prix right away. Not because I didn’t have the time or the will—but by choice. Because sometimes, the noise surrounding an event is louder than the substance within it. And this race, for all its potential, felt more like a sum of familiar parts than a new chapter in this season’s story.

Once you strip away the emotion of the live action, what’s left are dynamics we know all too well. Norris making a costly mistake. Ferrari (at least according to popular narrative) making another strategic misstep. Mercedes, for once, not throwing it away. And so the 2025 Canadian GP slips by like a collage of tales we’ve already read.

George Russell’s victory is a welcome development. Not so much because it was unexpected—Mercedes had shown strong signs from early in the weekend—but for how he got it done: with clarity, pace, and control. In a race where many faltered, he simply chose not to. And in the neatly chaotic world of modern Formula 1, that’s often the edge that makes all the difference.

Russell capitalized. He kept his cool when the race demanded composure and closed out an important weekend with the authority of a true leader. Finally. After so many missed chances, wasted poles, and unconverted performances, the George we saw in Montréal looked like the mature version of the driver who, too often, had left fans unsure of what to expect.

Then there was the one real “new” thing: Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s first career podium. The 2006-born driver stood there with the ease of someone who hasn’t yet realized just how hard it is to get there. And maybe that’s exactly his strength.

Antonelli didn’t luck into the result—he earned it. He took advantage of the right opportunities, read the race well, and showed excellent composure under pressure. It’s far too early to speak of a breakthrough, but this is the kind of podium that sticks: for him, for Mercedes, and for anyone looking to the future for a reason to stay excited.

Norris, on the other hand, made a big blunder—retiring after a clear misjudgment in a battle with Piastri. There’s not much to say here. The issue isn’t the mistake itself; it’s the context. In a tight championship fight, errors like that weigh heavily. It’s no longer enough to be fast—you need to be surgical. And too often, Norris still seems more artist than executioner.

And then, as usual, came the public trial of Ferrari. Swift and oversimplified, just the way the digital crowd likes it. This time, the target was strategy: too conservative, too indecisive, too lacking in clarity when it came to reading the evolving phases of the race.

But the truth—like most of the time—is more nuanced. Ferrari didn’t shine, but it didn’t collapse either. More than anything, it paid the price of a poor starting position and a difficult tire management situation on a track that has historically punished anyone not at the front. Clinging to the “strategic error” mantra over and over doesn’t help us understand. What we need is a more mature, colder, less hysterical analysis.

The 2025 Canadian GP was—plainly—a mix of things we’ve seen before. A solid, intense race, but one lacking true narrative sparks. An occasion to celebrate a young podium finisher and a deserved win, but not a turning point in the season.

That’s why I chose not to write about it right away. Because not everything deserves an instant hot take. Sometimes, you have to let it settle. And be honest enough to recognize that not every race makes history. Some simply confirm it.

© Simone Marchetti Cavalieri

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