Antonelli leads Mercedes 1–2 in chaotic Canadian GP FP1

Kimi Antonelli led a Mercedes 1-2 in a chaotic Canadian Grand Prix FP1, setting the fastest time of 1m13.402s to finish 0.142s ahead of teammate George Russell. The session was marred by three red flags, limiting running and leaving teams scrambling for data under the sprint weekend format.

Why it matters:

FP1 is the only practice session of the sprint weekend, making every minute critical for setup and long-run preparation. The interruptions compound challenges for teams already adapting to the 2026 regulations and tight competitive margins.

The details:

• Timing sheet: Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton was third (+0.774s), ahead of Charles Leclerc. Max Verstappen rounded out the top five for Red Bull (+0.964s).
• Red flags: Liam Lawson stopped at Turn 4 (hydraulic issue); Alex Albon hit a marmot at Turn 7, causing a heavy crash into the barriers; Esteban Ocon crashed at the Turn 4/5 complex in the closing minutes.
• Extension: The session was extended by 20 minutes under revised sprint rules, but mistakes persisted — Russell brushed the wall, Piastri locked up, and Norris ran wide.
• Other issues: Valtteri Bottas had a technical problem in the garage; Franco Colapinto reported a power-unit issue.

What's next:

Teams now head into sprint qualifying with limited data and compromised track time. Sprint qualifying begins at 4:30pm local time, where the grid for Saturday's sprint race will be set.