Everything that happened in messy Canadian GP practice

Formula 1 championship leader Kimi Antonelli topped a Mercedes 1-2 in the sole practice session for the Canadian Grand Prix, a session marred by three red flags and incidents for several drivers.

Mercedes debuted its first major upgrade of the season in Montreal, and it showed immediate pace. Antonelli set a 1m13.402s, 0.142s ahead of teammate George Russell, and seven tenths clear of the fastest non-Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari.

Why it matters:

With sprint qualifying set for later Friday, this practice was the only dry running before a potentially rainy weekend. Mercedes' strong form puts pressure on rivals, while the flurry of incidents disrupted preparation for several teams.

The details:

• Lawson's hydraulics: Liam Lawson stopped on track after just five laps due to a suspected hydraulic issue. His car also had a non-functional clutch release button, referred to the stewards.
• Albon's groundhog crash: Alex Albon hit a groundhog at Turn 6-7, sending him into the wall. The damage caused a lengthy red flag, extending the session by 15 minutes.
• Ocon's off: Esteban Ocon lost control at Turn 8/9 in the final 10 minutes, tearing off his Haas' front wing. He was noted for exiting pitlane under a red light.
• Colapinto no time: Franco Colapinto failed to complete a single lap due to a power unit issue. Alpine is working to fix it for sprint qualifying.
• Pace order: Behind the Mercedes pair, Hamilton led Leclerc, with Verstappen only fifth (+0.964s) complaining of “weird snaps”. McLaren was 6th/7th, while Lindblad impressed in 8th for Racing Bulls.

What's next:

Sprint qualifying takes place later Friday evening. While Mercedes appears the early benchmark, Red Bull and McLaren will aim to close the gap. Lawson and Colapinto face uphill battles to recover lost track time.