Championship leader Kimi Antonelli set the pace in the sole Formula 1 practice session for the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix, leading a Mercedes one-two ahead of George Russell. Antonelli’s 1m13.402s lap put him 0.142s clear as teams squeezed preparation into the single practice window before sprint qualifying.
Ferrari filled the next two spots, with Lewis Hamilton third at +0.774s and Charles Leclerc fourth at +0.953s, while Max Verstappen was fifth for Red Bull at +0.964s. McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri followed in sixth and seventh, ahead of Arvid Lindblad for Racing Bulls, Nico Hulkenberg for Audi and Fernando Alonso for Aston Martin completing the top 10.
Running was repeatedly interrupted by three red flags. The stoppages were triggered by a car failure for Liam Lawson, Alex Albon crashing after striking a groundhog, and Esteban Ocon spinning into the wall. The session was then extended to allow teams a little more running ahead of sprint qualifying.
Practice classification:
1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) 1m13.402s
2. George Russell (Mercedes) +0.142s
3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.774s
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.953s
5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.964s
6. Lando Norris (McLaren) +1.397s
7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +1.561s
8. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) +2.050s
9. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) +2.296s
10. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +2.461s
11. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) +2.812s
12. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) +2.851s
13. Esteban Ocon (Haas) +3.095s
14. Alex Albon (Williams) +3.240s
15. Carlos Sainz (Williams) +3.258s
16. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +3.407s
17. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +3.576s
18. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +4.029s
19. Ollie Bearman (Haas) +4.368s
20. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) +4.466s
21. Sergio Perez (Cadillac) +4.524s
22. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) no time
With practice complete, attention turns to sprint qualifying. Teams now head into competitive sessions with limited preparation from a disrupted, stop-start run.
Source: the-race.com