Kimi Antonelli set the pace in the only Free Practice ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, the one-hour session repeatedly interrupted by three red flags. Antonelli’s quickest lap of 1m13.402s proved fastest, a little over a tenth quicker than George Russell; several other big names were well adrift as teams scrambled for data before Sprint Qualifying later on Friday.
The session began with everyone eager to learn the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve ahead of the sprint format. Problems arrived early: Franco Colapinto returned to the pits after reporting a throttle problem and the Alpine crew diagnosed an electrical issue on the power unit. Drivers were pushing hard from the start — Lando Norris ran wide into the run-off at the final chicane and Max Verstappen clipped the grass at Turn 7 while setting an early benchmark.
Verstappen led the opening phase on the hard tyre with a 1m15.895s before a Virtual Safety Car, but the first red flag came soon after when Liam Lawson suffered a mechanical stoppage at Turn 5; his car was recovered and four minutes were added back to the session.
On the restart, the track remained dirty and grip was limited. Oscar Piastri was the first to dip under 1m15, with a 1m14.963s on the hards, and Mercedes’ young driver Antonelli and team mate Russell began jockeying for the top. A second red flag followed when Alex Albon’s Williams struck a groundhog at Turn 7, causing heavy damage and prompting a 15-minute extension to the session as marshals cleared debris and teams assessed repairs.
Mercedes drivers traded the fastest laps as the session progressed. Antonelli briefly lowered the benchmark to a 1m14.392s on hards before the final runs on soft tyres. Russell went quickest on the soft with a 1m13.850s, only for Antonelli to respond with the session-best 1m13.402s.
The afternoon featured several more on-track dramas. Russell ran deep at Turn 1 on one attempt and later spun, grazing the barrier at Turn 2 but rejoining. Esteban Ocon suffered the biggest accident of the session, spinning on the exit of Turn 4 and hitting the barrier nose-first — his Haas sustained heavy front-end damage and prompted the third red flag while debris was recovered. Race control also noted Ocon passed the pit-lane red light when the session briefly restarted.
When action concluded, Antonelli led the timesheets ahead of Russell. Charles Leclerc, Verstappen and Norris were among those trailing the Mercedes pair. Piastri, Arvid Lindblad, Nico Hülkenberg and Fernando Alonso were also inside the top group as teams continued to evaluate their setups for the sprint.
Repairs will be a focus with limited time before qualifying: Albon’s car required significant attention after the animal strike, and Colapinto ended the session without a representative lap time. With only Sprint Qualifying to follow, teams will use the evening to finalize setups and repair damage while the championship contenders prepare for what should be a competitive weekend in Montreal.