Andrea Kimi Antonelli set the benchmark in first practice ahead of Sprint Qualifying at the Canadian Grand Prix, clocking a 1:13.402 to headline a Mercedes one-two. George Russell trailed by 0.142s as the pair led an interrupted opening session.
Ferrari secured the next two places, with Lewis Hamilton third at +0.774 and Charles Leclerc fourth at +0.953. Max Verstappen was fifth for Red Bull, followed by McLaren’s Lando Norris in sixth and Oscar Piastri in seventh.
The hour was disrupted by three red flags. Liam Lawson’s Racing Bulls came to a halt early on, prompting the first stoppage. Alex Albon was then forced to park his Williams after running over a mormot, before Esteban Ocon crashed his Haas on the exit of Turn 4, ripping the front of his car off.
Arvid Lindbad took eighth for Racing Bulls, with Nico Hulkenberg ninth for Audi and Fernando Alonso rounding out the top 10 for Aston Martin. Gabriel Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar were 11th and 12th respectively, ahead of Ocon in 13th and the Williams pair of Albon and Carlos Sainz.
Pierre Gasly, Lance Stroll and Lawson filled the next slots, with Oliver Bearman 19th. Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez were 20th and 21st, while Franco Colapinto recorded no time for Alpine.
FP1 classification:
- 1) Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes — 1:13.402
- 2) George Russell, Mercedes — 1:13.544 (+0.142)
- 3) Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari — 1:14.176 (+0.774)
- 4) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari — 1:14.355 (+0.953)
- 5) Max Verstappen, Red Bull — 1:14.366 (+0.964)
- 6) Lando Norris, McLaren — 1:14.799 (+1.397)
- 7) Oscar Piastri, McLaren — 1:14.963 (+1.561)
- 8) Arvid Lindbad, Racing Bulls — 1:15.452 (+2.050)
- 9) Nico Hulkenberg, Audi — 1:15.698 (+2.296)
- 10) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin — 1:15.863 (+2.461)
- 11) Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi — 1:16.214 (+2.812)
- 12) Isack Hadjar, Red Bull — 1:16.253 (+2.851)
- 13) Esteban Ocon, Haas — 1:16.497 (+3.095)
- 14) Alex Albon, Williams — 1:16.642 (+3.240)
- 15) Carlos Sainz, Williams — 1:16.660 (+3.258)
- 16) Pierre Gasly, Alpine — 1:16.809 (+3.407)
- 17) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin — 1:16.978 (+3.576)
- 18) Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls — 1:17.431 (+4.029)
- 19) Oliver Bearman, Haas — 1:17.770 (+4.368)
- 20) Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac — 1:17.868 (+4.466)
- 21) Sergio Perez, Cadillac — 1:17.926 (+4.524)
- 22) Franco Colapinto, Alpine — No time
What’s next: Teams will now refine setups for Sprint Qualifying later, with attention turning to how the disrupted running in FP1 shapes the competitive order for the rest of the weekend.
Source: motorsportweek.com