F1 Canadian GP live commentary and updates - FP1
Follow along for the latest updates from practice at Formula 1's Canadian Grand Prix at Montreal
Live Standings
Live Text
That's your lot for FP1 at Montreal, on a low-grip track with a series of twitches and offs throughout the session.
We'll be back for FP2 - thanks for joining us, and we'll see you a little bit later on!
The customary practice starts begin on the grid, following the session's completion.
Otherwise, a mixed-up order in FP1 as the teams get their first set of data to comb through ahead of FP2.
Canadian GP FP1 is complete
The chequered flag waves, with Max Verstappen's 1m13.193s top of the charts ahead of the two Williamses.
Russell, Hamilton, Hadjar, Norris, Lawson, Gasly, and Leclerc (who crashed earlier) complete the top 10.
Norris pulls out the best middle sector to move up to seventh, so McLaren is starting to ramp up a bit. Nobody else is really going any quicker, as they're just circulating on the red tyres.
That said, he's had his third moment of the session at L'Epingle hairpin - albeit a slightly more tame one this time.
Just a little under 10 minutes left - and we've mainly seen running on the C6 tyres.
Piastri's McLaren looked a bit wayward through Turn 6, but he hangs onto it - but the orange cars are only 12th and 14th, for now.
Meanwhile, Norris has been pinged for failing to adhere to the race director's instructions at Turn 2, presumably due to ignoring the escape route. He has another slide at Turn 10's hairpin.
"We're further ahead than we should be, we're running a slightly different programme to others," James Vowles confirms on Sky Sports - hence Williams' placement on the timing board. Regardless, he believes the team should be back in the mix for points.
In the meantime, Norris has an off at Turn 2 - he's been a bit wayward in this session. Aero paint on the front suspension too, as McLaren has also updated that area of the car for Canada.
Verstappen got very close to the Wall of Champions there - 0cm, according to the TV graphic. Can't trust it too much - Hulkenberg tapped it and was apparently 4cm away. Maybe minus-four, perhaps...
"What Albon is doing this session is...yeah. Out of Turn 2 is crazy," says Alonso, another man unhappy with the Williams driver's positioning this session.
Albon was under investigation for impeding, but no further action will be taken.
Albon is back up to second, a scant 0.039s off Verstappen's pace.
Hadjar and Sainz are currently leading the lap charts, with 19 tours of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve apiece.
Sainz goes quickest with a 1m13.275s, for all of about five seconds as Verstappen then does a 1m13.193s.
There's still over a second to come from the ultimate pace, but Williams has always gone well here.
Piastri gets a €100 fine for speeding in the pitlane - he went 0.3kph faster than the 80kph limit.
That...probably won't hurt his bank balance too much.
Russell sets a 1m13.535s to climb to the top, 0.328s quicker than Verstappen's earlier benchmark.
The track's improving, although Sainz has a poor final sector and doesn't improve despite setting a best first sector.
We've also got a replay of Nico Hulkenberg giving the Wall of Champions the tiniest of kisses there - he's a GP2 champion, after all...
Top 10 standings after 30 minutes
1. Verstappen, 2. Leclerc, 3. Russell, 4. Norris, 5. Sainz, 6. Alonso, 7. Hadjar, 8. Albon, 9. Lawson, 10. Tsunoda.
Hamilton had a spin at the Turn 10 hairpin, losing the rear and pirouetting. He's got the car back to the pits without any damage.
In the meantime, Verstappen posts a 1m13.863s to go 0.022s faster than the wall-bothering Leclerc.
Piastri gets a lap on the board, Russell has the same moment that Antonelli faced pre-red flag at Turn 5, and Norris has a snatch at Turn 8. It's difficult at the moment - the track is still not exactly at peak condition.
We've got a few intermittent yellow flags for...some reason, it's not yet clear.
I'm reminded of watching from the run between Turn 2 and 3 in 2023, sitting there for a very long time while a red flag was brought out for a CCTV failure. Lots of groundhogs in the parkland and red-shouldered blackbirds - all the memeable Canadian GP fauna, really.
FP1 back underway after red flag
We're back! Russell kicks us off to begin with, followed by the two McLarens.
A replay of Bortoleto having a moan about Albon there, as the Anglo-Thai tried to avoid the incoming Sauber on the run to the hairpin.
"What is this guy doing?" the Brazilian asks, as Albon reckons he "tried to do the right thing" and almost clattered into him.
Watch: Leclerc causes FP1 red flag
Leclerc crash brings out red flag
That's an unusual incident - Leclerc actually locked up on the approach to Turn 3 and went onto the grass - clipping the left-hand barrier and then ended up in the opposite wall.
"Sorry, I'm in the wall - I should have gone straight on," he muses.
Leclerc crashes at Turn 4
There's a Ferrari in the wall - Charles Leclerc has suffered a spin at Turn 4 and sustained some pretty heavy damage.
Leclerc now moves into the 73-second bracket with a 1m13.885s. Albon had just gone up to second but moves down a spot.
Ocon and Piastri are yet to set times.
Antonelli had an off at Turn 6 - reporting that the rear locked up on him. He's back out on the road.
Lando Norris also has a lock-up at the hairpin, perhaps carrying too much speed through the corner. With two purple sectors in S1 and S2, the slip cost him well over half a second.
"When I came on throttle, something happened," the McLaren driver reports.
Stroll "back" after Spain withdrawal
Aston Martin's Lance Stroll is back in the saddle after missing the Spanish GP through a reoccurence of his hand injury from 2023.
That said, he didn't look particularly enthused in yesterday's press conference - Ben Hunt was there.
2024 pole time
George Russell did a 1m12.000s to clinch pole last year - we were going to compare to FP1 last year, but then remembered it was wet. Lots of puddles to hop over at Turn 1 when viewing the session trackside.
Albon did a 1m15.148s, but Verstappen now finds a 1m14.478s to bring up the pace.
"We are monitoring the issue, we're not seeing anything from a reliability perspective. Stay out," Gianpiero Lambiase tells Verstappen.
Meantime, Hadjar goes top on the mediums with a 1m15.419s - 0.4s clear of Leclerc. Still, long way to go on the times.
First orders are up
Lewis Hamilton put himself top on his first run with a 1m17.018s, but Verstappen then does a 1m16.067s on his first tour with the C6s. He reports that the steering wheel feels "very heavy".
Gasly then moves up to second, 0.053s off Verstappen's effort.
Colapinto spin at Turn 2
A brief yellow flag down at Turn 2 - Franco Colapinto's had a spin while starting his first lap.
The Argentine took the line for the Turn 2 slow hairpin, and the back end just went around on him. He's back facing the right way now.
FP1 at Montreal is under way
Big old aero rakes on Oscar Piastri's car to check out that new front wing.
Esteban Ocon, Piastri, and Nico Hulkenberg lead the way out of the pitlane.
Weather check in Montreal
It's 16C, but 40C track temperature - which is moderately warm. The full gamut of the softest Pirelli tyres are available - C4s, 5s, and 6s.
Haas' 200th GP special livery
To celebrate its twin-century of races in F1, Haas has thrown it back to 2016 (does 2016 count as retro now? I feel old) with a representation of its first livery on its VF-16. Romain Grosjean took sixth on the American team's debut in Australia.
Track guide: Canadian Grand Prix
Watch: 2025 Canadian GP track guide
FP1 coming up in 20 minutes' time
And there's a few updates for teams to get their heads around. McLaren has a new front wing for this race, an update of the stiffer wing it introduced for the Spanish Grand Prix, while Mercedes has some small floor revisions.
Photo by: Mark Mann-Bryans
Canada form guide
We'll get the first look at the pecking order here in Canada in less than half an hour - can anyone realistically beat McLaren this weekend?
Red Bull reckons it might struggle versus Mercedes, although hotter temperatures later in the weekend might hurt the German manufacturer.
Ferrari, meanwhile, has scored podiums in the past two races thanks to Charles Leclerc - can the SF-25 find some form in Montreal?
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
Why do Red Bull juniors - who aren't called Max - struggle at the main team?
Alex Albon has been there and done that - called up to the Red Bull team mid-2019 as Pierre Gasly returned to the team formerly known as Toro Rosso.
“I think the [Red Bull Racing] cars are on a knife edge,” he said ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix. “Max can drive it. Obviously I can speak from experience – I struggled a bit.
“It's also difficult because – maybe it's my own interpretation of it – but the RB is quite a forgiving car. It's quite well balanced, it's very stable, it gives you a lot of confidence."
Here's what the Williams driver had to say on Yuki Tsunoda's current struggles:
The theory on why Red Bull F1 juniors struggle at the senior team – from a driver who's been there
Le Mans 24 Hours this weekend
Don't forget to stay across Autosport and Motorsport.com for updates as the 93rd edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours unfurls.
The blue-riband enduro event will get rolling at 4pm French time - and for those who'll stay up all night to watch it, you'll get a couple of hours shut-eye before the grand prix starts in Canada.
#12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-Series.R: Will Stevens, Norman Nato, Alex Lynn
Photo by: Marc Fleury
Montreal weather
It's reasonably clement in Quebec - around 17-18C. Temperatures are expected to rise slightly through the weekend to hit around 23-24C on race day.
No rain expected - but it's Montreal, and that could very easily change.
City skyline
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Stuart Codling picks his favourite F1 season
At Autosport, we've been producing a new series of podcasts on our writers' and contributors' favourite seasons.
Karun Chandhok, James Allen, and Maurice Hamilton have chosen their favourite seasons on previous episodes - now, Stuart Codling brings his unique flair to the table to extol the virtues of 1976.
By: Autosport Staff
