Kimi Antonelli topped an incidend filled FP1 in Canada. Image: XPB Images
The championship leader set a best time of 1m13.402s to finish 0.142s clear of Russell, with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton third, 0.774s off the pace.
Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc slotted into fourth, just under a second behind the benchmark, while Max Verstappen completed the top five for Red Bull, 0.964s adrift.
McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were sixth and seventh respectively, both over 1.3s off the outright pace, with Piastri 1.561s back after a messy soft-tyre run prevented him from improving on his earlier efforts.
Arvid Lindblad impressed in eighth for Racing Bulls, ahead of Audi pair Nico Hulkenberg and Fernando Alonso, who put Aston Martin inside the top 10 for the first time in 2026.
However, the session was dominated by interruptions, with three separate red flags cutting into running time and limiting teams’ ability to complete meaningful long runs.
The first stoppage came early when Liam Lawson stopped on track for Racing Bulls at Turn 4 after a suspected hydraulic issue, leaving his car stranded and triggering a virtual safety car period before the session was halted.
A second and more dramatic stoppage followed just after the halfway point when Alex Albon hit a trackside marmot at the Turn 7 chicane, the impact sending the Williams into the barriers and scattering debris across the circuit. The incident triggered a lengthy delay while marshals cleared the scene.
A third red flag arrived in the closing minutes when Esteban Ocon lost control exiting the Turn 4 and 5 complex and struck the wall, scattering debris and ending the session prematurely.
The Haas driver had already been under scrutiny after earlier complaints of the car grounding out, and was later noted for leaving the pit lane under red lights.
Despite the interruptions, the session was extended by 20 minutes to allow teams to make up lost time under the revised sprint weekend rules designed to compensate for time lost in the sole practice session.
After the second red flag, running resumed with the field pushing into soft-tyre simulations, though mistakes were frequent.
Russell had a moment at Turn 2 where he brushed the wall after a spin, while Piastri endured a big lock-up on his push lap that forced him across the run-off into the final chicane.
Norris also struggled for clean laps, running wide at the hairpin, while Verstappen complained of instability under downshifts.
Further disruption came behind the scenes, with Valtteri Bottas stopping in his garage with a technical issue, while Franco Colapinto also reported a power unit-related problem early in the session, preventing the Argentinian from completing running.
Cars return to track for sprint qualifying at 4.30pm local time (6.30am AEST).
Results: Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix, Free Practice 1
Pos.
No.
Driver
Team
Time / Gap
Laps
1
12
Kimi Antonelli
Mercedes
1:13.402
8
2
63
George Russell
Mercedes
+0.142s
26
3
44
Lewis Hamilton
Ferrari
+0.774s
8
4
16
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
+0.953s
10
5
3
Max Verstappen
Red Bull Racing
+0.964s
7
6
1
Lando Norris
McLaren
+1.397s
7
7
81
Oscar Piastri
McLaren
+1.561s
26
8
41
Arvid Lindblad
Racing Bulls
+2.050s
26
9
27
Nico Hulkenberg
Audi
+2.296s
6
10
14
Fernando Alonso
Aston Martin
+2.461s
19
11
5
Gabriel Bortoleto
Audi
+2.812s
7
12
6
Isack Hadjar
Red Bull Racing
+2.851s
5
13
31
Esteban Ocon
Haas F1 Team
+3.095s
25
14
23
Alexander Albon
Williams
+3.240s
14
15
55
Carlos Sainz
Williams
+3.258s
6
16
10
Pierre Gasly
Alpine
+3.407s
7
17
18
Lance Stroll
Aston Martin
+3.576s
7
18
30
Liam Lawson
Racing Bulls
+4.029s
4
19
87
Oliver Bearman
Haas F1 Team
+4.368s
6
20
77
Valtteri Bottas
Cadillac
+4.466s
4
21
11
Sergio Perez
Cadillac
+4.524s
4
22
43
Franco Colapinto
Alpine
No Time
0
