P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Kimi Antonelli heads a dominate Mercedes one-two in the only practice session at the Canadian Grand Prix.
“Formula 1 championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli continued his strong performance in the sole practice session for the Canadian Grand Prix, leading the pace in his upgraded Mercedes, outpacing team-mate George Russell by 0.142 seconds.
Mercedes showcased their first major upgrade package of the 2026 season in Montreal, with Antonelli holding a 20-point lead over Russell in the championship standings after three consecutive wins.
The Friday practice results showed Mercedes’ dominance, with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton trailing by 0.774s in third place, followed by team-mate Charles Leclerc.
Max Verstappen placed fifth, while McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were over a second behind the leader in sixth and seventh, respectively. Piastri faced issues with a lock-up at the final chicane.
The practice session was eventful, with three red flags due to incidents involving Liam Lawson, Franco Colapinto, Alex Albon, and Esteban Ocon. Ocon’s crash happened in the closing moments, causing significant damage to his Haas car.
The FIA experimented with a new rear lights system during the session to indicate MGU-K power levels, before reverting to the standard lights for the rest of the weekend. Sprint qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix is set for 21:30 UK time.”
