- Canadian GP: Kimi Antonelli tops Mercedes team-mate George Russell in chaotic practice featuring three red flags
Mercedes delivered a strong statement at the Canadian Grand Prix as Kimi Antonelli finished at the top of the timesheets during a dramatic and disrupted practice session in Montreal. The young Italian continued his impressive run of form, edging out his Mercedes team-mate George Russell in a session interrupted three different times by red flags.
With the Canadian Grand Prix operating under a sprint weekend format, drivers had only one practice session to prepare their cars before sprint qualifying. That made every lap increasingly important, placing extra pressure on teams to gather data and find the right setup quickly. Mercedes appeared to thrive under those circumstances, particularly with the arrival of their first significant upgrade package of the season.
Antonelli showed confidence from the moment the session resumed after early interruptions. His pace steadily improved as conditions evolved, eventually producing a fastest lap of 1:13.402. Russell remained close throughout and briefly looked capable of claiming top spot, but Antonelli responded with an even stronger lap to secure first place by 0.142 seconds. The result reinforced the 19-year-old’s growing reputation and maintained the momentum that has already seen him collect three consecutive victories this season.
The practice session, however, was far from straightforward. Chaos arrived early when Liam Lawson suffered a technical issue that forced his car to stop on track, triggering the first red flag and immediately disrupting the rhythm for the field. Teams were forced back into the garages while marshals cleared the stranded car.
Once running resumed, another interruption followed. Alex Albon’s session ended in unfortunate circumstances after striking a groundhog before hitting the wall. The incident caused notable damage and brought out the second red flag, leading to further delays and reducing already limited preparation time.
Mercedes returned strongly after the stoppage, with both Antonelli and Russell taking control of the timing screens. Russell briefly held the advantage and looked competitive, but late drama added another twist. While pushing hard near the end of the session, the British driver spun and made light contact with the barrier. Although he avoided major damage and returned safely, the mistake highlighted the demanding nature of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
The third and final red flag arrived when Esteban Ocon lost control and crashed his Haas, scattering debris and bringing proceedings to another halt. Officials extended the session slightly to compensate for lost time, though many teams still struggled to complete their planned programmes.
Behind the Mercedes pair, Lewis Hamilton led Ferrari’s challenge in third ahead of Charles Leclerc, while Max Verstappen completed the top five. McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri endured less convincing runs and finished outside the leading group. Yet the headline belonged to Mercedes, whose upgraded machinery and dominant pace have positioned them as serious favourites heading into sprint qualifying and the remainder of the Canadian Grand Prix weekend.