Antonelli Leads Mercedes 1-2 in Red-Flagged Canadian GP Practice

Kimi Antonelli emerged fastest in a heavily disrupted Canadian Grand Prix practice session, leading a Mercedes 1-2 ahead of teammate George Russell. The sole practice—critical on a sprint weekend—was red-flagged three times due to technical issues and crashes, leaving teams with limited data before sprint qualifying later today.

Why it matters:

With only one practice session before sprint qualifying, getting the car setup right was paramount. Mercedes appeared to hit the mark, while McLaren and Red Bull struggled with pace and handling, potentially shaking up the order for the rest of the weekend.

The details:

• The session was red-flagged after just 11 minutes when Liam Lawson stopped his Racing Bulls at Turn 4 with a technical issue.
• Alex Albon triggered a second red flag after hitting a groundhog at Turn 7 and crashing into the wall – the session was paused for over 15 minutes.
• A third red flag came late when Esteban Ocon lost control of his Haas at Turn 7, hitting the wall but escaping major damage.
• Antonelli set a 1m13.402s on soft tires, 0.142s quicker than Russell, who spun at Turn 1 late in the session and lightly tapped the barrier.
• Lewis Hamilton took third for Ferrari (1m14.176s), ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc (1m14.355s) on hard tires.
• Max Verstappen managed only fifth, complaining of heavy steering and snapping on downshifts, while Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri ended up sixth and seventh, over 1.4s off the pace.
• The FIA trialed a new rear light system for MGU-K power derating, using different colors to indicate various power reduction states.

What's next:

Sprint qualifying will take place later today, with Mercedes looking to convert practice pace into a strong grid position. McLaren and Red Bull have work to do to close the gap, while Ferrari appears solid but not yet matching the Brackley squad's outright speed.