18:49
Chequered flag.
No more timed efforts, there we have it. The session is over.
Leclerc in Canada, with Geese
© XPB Images
LIVE
F1 Canada LIVE: Build-up to Sprint Qualifying after Mercedes 1-2 in FP1
Live coverage of Friday at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix
KEY MOMENTS
- Antonelli leads Mercedes 1-2 in FP1
- Albon crash causes heavy damage; Ocon also in strife
- Colapinto and Lawson suffer early reliability woes
The fifth round of the 2026 Formula 1 season takes place at the Canadian Grand Prix.
While the vast majority of teams brought significant upgrade packages to the Miami Grand Prix, Mercedes kept its powder dry, and has brought its first major upgrade to Montreal. With the team having been victorious in all four rounds so far, there is intrigue as to the margin the team will be able to pull with its new parts, especially as the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is usually a strong venue for Mercedes.
McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull will hope to have closed the gap with additional upgrades, although notably smaller, to their own cars.
Max Verstappen has stolen plenty of the limelight, with his exploits at the Nurburgring 24 Hours a key talking point among drivers in the paddock.
Esteban Ocon and Haas have been forced to dismiss suggestions that they could part company imminently, with reports described as b******* by both the driver and team principal Ayao Komatsu having circled during the week, suggesting an argument had taken place between the pair in Miami.
As this is a sprint weekend, there will be just one practice session taking place before sprint qualifying on Friday evening.
Unlike in Miami, where there had been a significant break in the lead-up, the practice session will last just one hour.
2026 Canadian Grand Prix Friday schedule
Sprint qualifying: 9:30pm BST - 10:14pm BST
22 May 2026
20:04
Groundhog Day for Albon and Williams
James Vowles has revealed the extent of the damage suffered by Alex Albon after the Williams driver hit a groundhog during Practice 1 for the Canadian Grand Prix. Full story ⬇️
Albon in Canada
© XPB Images
19:12
Full Canadian GP FP1 results
2026 F1 Canadian Grand Prix: Full Friday practice results
The 2026 Canadian Grand Prix weekend began with a heavily disrupted practice session, headed by Kimi Antonelli. Full results here⬇️
19:08
Antonelli tops Canada practice after Albon strikes groundhog
Formula 1 championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli continued his fine form by setting the pace in the sole practice session for the Canadian Grand Prix in his upgraded Mercedes.
Read our full report below ⬇️
ANTONELLI TOPS CANADA F1 PRACTICE AFTER ALBON STRIKES GROUNDHOG
Antonelli has won the last three F1 races
18:50
Top 10
The top 10 after a dramatic FP1 is:
- Antonelli
- Russell
- Hamilton
- Leclerc
- Verstappen
- Norris
- Piastri
- Lindblad
- Hulkenberg
- Alonso
18:49
Green flag
With less than a minute on the clock, the green flags fly.
18:47
The session will resume at 18:48BST, 13:48 local time.
18:45
Replays show he spun on the exit of the corner, appearing to lose control after running the kerb on power, and being fired into the inside wall. There were concerns about bottoming out earlier on, and that could have been the case again here.
18:44
Red flag
Ocon has made contact with something, and his front wing has been smsashed to bits. It looks like he may have hit the wall on the way out of Turn 4.
18:43
Russell spins into the barriers on the run to Turn 1. Soft contact with the wall, but those tyres are dead, and his session is over.
18:42
Lawson looks to have a penalty coming his way. The clutch disengagement button wasn't working on his car, which caused the red flag to be thrown. Either a team or grid penalty could come his way.
18:40
Russell closes the gap to 0.142s with a second effort, but it remains advantage Antonelli.
18:38
Another lockup for Piastri into the final chicane. He locked both front tyres and scrubbed next to no speed into the corner. It looked like he hit a bump and that may have caused the lockup. It certainly caught his attention.
18:36
Whoa! A 1m13.402s for Antonelli puts him 0.448s clear of his team-mate. That gauntlet we mentioned has well and truly been taken up.
18:34
A 1m13.850s is the new benchmark as Russell throws down the gauntlet to his championship-leading team-mate.
18:33
New softs for Russell. This will almost certainly vault him to the top of the times, but Antonelli is just leaving the pits on fresh softs himself.
18:32
Uh oh. Stroll may now be on the track, but Alonso's Aston Martin now has significant focus on it. Fingers crossed that it's only setup work.
18:31
An engine change for Colapinto has been confirmed, leaving Alpine with a race against time ahead of Sprint Qualifying.
18:30
Hamilton is the latest driver to lock up and make use of the Tarmac runoff at the final chicane.
18:27
Demonstrating his battles with the Red Bull, Verstappen locks up and hops the grass at Turn 8.
18:26
Verstappen believes he may have a diff issue, with snaps being reported as he changes gear exiting corners.
18:26
With 25 minutes remaining:
- Antonelli
- Russell
- Piastri
- Norris
- Leclerc
- Hamilton
- Lindblad
- Verstappen
- Alonso
- Hadjar
18:25
Gasly is the latest driver to lock up and take a trip across the grass, but Antonelli and Russell are both pushing the limits ever more, getting closer and closer to the barriers.
18:20
A real near-miss there for Norris at the Turn 3-4 chicane, as he locks the rears and takes a trip across the grass. He's up to P7 now, but it's all been a little bit messy for the McLaren driver.
18:17
Perez and Alonso are banking some soft tyre running while most are continuing on the hard options for now.
Verstappen reports that his steering has suddenly got a lot heavier. Maybe that will feel more like a GT car, who knows?