Championship leader Kimi Antonelli set the pace in the sole Formula 1 practice session for the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix, leading a Mercedes one-two ahead of George Russell. Antonelli’s 1m13.402s lap put him 0.142s clear as teams squeezed preparation into the single practice window before sprint qualifying.
Ferrari filled the next two spots, with Lewis Hamilton third at +0.774s and Charles Leclerc fourth at +0.953s, while Max Verstappen was fifth for Red Bull at +0.964s. McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri followed in sixth and seventh, ahead of Arvid Lindblad for Racing Bulls, Nico Hulkenberg for Audi and Fernando Alonso for Aston Martin completing the top 10.
Running was repeatedly interrupted by three red flags. The stoppages were triggered by a car failure for Liam Lawson, Alex Albon crashing after striking a groundhog, and Esteban Ocon spinning into the wall. The session was then extended to allow teams a little more running ahead of sprint qualifying.
Practice classification: 1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) 1m13.402s 2. George Russell (Mercedes) +0.142s 3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.774s 4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.953s 5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.964s 6. Lando Norris (McLaren) +1.397s 7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +1.561s 8. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) +2.050s 9. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) +2.296s 10. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +2.461s 11. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) +2.812s 12. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) +2.851s 13. Esteban Ocon (Haas) +3.095s 14. Alex Albon (Williams) +3.240s 15. Carlos Sainz (Williams) +3.258s 16. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +3.407s 17. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +3.576s 18. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +4.029s 19. Ollie Bearman (Haas) +4.368s 20. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) +4.466s 21. Sergio Perez (Cadillac) +4.524s 22. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) no time
With practice complete, attention turns to sprint qualifying. Teams now head into competitive sessions with limited preparation from a disrupted, stop-start run.
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*Originally published on [Formula 1 News](https://newsformula.one/article/antonelli-leads-mercedes-1-2-in-red-flagged-canada-f1-practice-2026). Visit for full coverage.*
