Why George Russell was forced to retire from Canadian Grand Prix

Exactly what happened to force George Russell out of the Canadian Grand Prix has emerged.

On Sunday, the Mercedes driver started in pole position after pipping teammate Kimi Antonelli in qualifying but the previous day, during the sprint race, Russell and Antonelli were involved in a bit of drama.

Antonelli found himself on the grass twice, voicing his displeasure on the team radio.

He demanded that Russell receive a penalty for a 'naughty manoeuvre', which saw team principal Toto Wolff intervene. He told the Italian: "Can we concentrate on the driving, please, and not on the radio moaning?"

Naturally, this brought the best out of both men at lights out. They jostled for first position, with Antonelli even having to relinquish pole position. When told to give the position back to Russell, Antonelli snapped: "Why mate? He pushed me off! And I was ahead. Like, what's the point?"

However, even more drama struck in lap 30. Russell suddenly stopped in his tracks, which left him unable to continue.

Sky Sports' Ted Kravitz has now confirmed a power unit failure forced Russell off the track. It's the first time Russell has not finished a race since Silverstone in 2024

After speaking to Mercedes, Kravitz said: "It was a power unit failure for George Russell. There was nothing Russell could've done. A power unit failure has ended his race."

Russell's reaction was one of frustration. He threw his gloves on the ground, as well as his headrest. The 28-year-old was noted for the latter.

Russell's instant response to having to retire

Speaking in the pen shortly after he retired from the race, Russell admitted he was proud of his weekend after winning the sprint and coming first in qualifying. He admitted: "Everything turned off, all of a sudden. Engine stopped, no electronics... a bit lost for words right now. I can't say much more."

When asked what this means for his World Championship pursuit, Russell replied: "I was leading before I stopped. I had a good battle with Kimi. From my side, there's not much more I could've done this weekend. I'm pretty frustrated with what's happened, but I leave satisfied."

Watch every race live with Sky Sports

Sky are currently running an offer that allows existing Sky TV customers to add the Sky Sports F1 channel for just £15 a month, on a 31-day rolling contract.

The races are coming thick and fast as F1 heads to Europe, with the Monaco GP next up on June 7 before the Barcelona and Austrian GPs later in the month. We then head to Silverstone and the much-anticipated British GP on July 5, before trips to Belgium and Hungary.

And it’s not just about the races themselves, of course. Sky Sports F1 is the only place you can watch every F1 practice and qualifier live.

You’ll also benefit from behind-the-scenes access, exclusive interviews and world-class analysis, both on a race weekend and in standalone shows like The Notebook with Ted Kravitz and The F1 Show.

On top of all that, Sky Sports customers can also stream any of the F1 action live from their phone or tablet via the Sky Sports app.