17:34
Sergio Perez puts in the first time of the weekend, but he's quickly bettered by drivers, including Oscar Piastri, with a 1:19.489s.
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
17:31
The drivers flood out onto the track with a mix of all three dry tyre compounds - the soft, medium, and hards.
17:30
Green light!
The green light shows at the end of the pitlane, and we are go for the sole practice session of the weekend.
17:28
Here we go. The temperature is a warm enough 15.7C, with the track baked to 37.7C. Rain is not expected to be a consideration today, with the sun shining.
17:23
Seven minutes remain before we get underway with FP1. Time enough to get a drink, hope that dinner isn't going to take too much longer to cook, and then assume the position, ready for the action to begin.
17:22
There is a common feature of the Canadian weekend, with the wildlife often playing a part in the action. Here is a brief history of incidents involving Groundhogs.
Groundhog Day: Why Montreal’s resident rodents are a hazard at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix
Groundhogs make regular appearances at the Canadian Grand Prix
17:17
It's pretty difficult to have missed that Max Verstappen was in action last weekend at the Nurburgring, and the drivers all had their own thoughts and opinions on the outing.
F1 drivers react to Max Verstappen's Nurburgring 24 Hours near-miss
Verstappen at the Nurburgring
© Red Bull Content Pool
17:13
Hello!
Good afternoon and welcome to Practice 1 for the Canadian Grand Prix. With just the one session taking place before Sprint Qualifying later on this evening, there is no time for crashes, errors, or mechanical failures...we'll see how that plan goes.