F1 Canadian GP: Lewis Hamilton leads practice as Mercedes dominates
Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time in the opening practice session for this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix

Mercedes duo Hamilton and Nico Rosberg dominated the opening period, finishing well ahead of the chasing pack.
Hamilton was 0.415 seconds faster than Rosberg, who was over a second ahead of the Lotus of Romain Grosjean in third.
Mercedes-powered cars dominated practice at Montreal's Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, which is characterised by three long straights. Four of the top five fastest cars in the session were powered by the Mercedes powerplant.
Force India's Nico Hulkenberg was fourth fastest, followed by the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel and the Williams of Felipe Massa.
Daniil Kvyat was next up in his Toro Rosso, finishing the session in seventh place ahead of the second Lotus of Pastor Maldonado and McLaren's Fernando Alonso.
Hamilton set the early pace on the soft tyre and remained at the top of the timing sheets for the next 90 minutes.
When pushing harder with half an hour to go he spun at the Turn 10 hairpin but was able to continue unharmed.
Shortly afterwards he mentioned on his team radio that he was losing time with his upshifts.
Carlos Sainz Jr had an eventful session. First he locked-up and spun his Toro Rosso into Turn 1 before continuing, but with 10 minutes to go he stopped at the bottom of the pitlane and was pushed back to his garage by his mechanics.
Half a dozen cars outbraked themselves into the final chicane and had to familiarise their way around a new bollard and lane to return to the track.
Jenson Button suffered problems early on when he radioed back to his garage unable to shift out of second gear.
After a slow installation lap he returned to his McLaren pit and he sat the first half of the session with a gearbox issue.
In the end he was able to complete 25 laps and set the 15th fastest time.
Practice started in overcast conditions, but quickly brightened up. During the session there was a bizarre sight as marshals were removing small metal staples from an area of pitlane where a carpet had been laid during a previous event at the venue.
The second 90-minute session commences at 2pm local time with some forecasts still predicting rain.
PRACTICE RESULTS:
Pos | Driver | Car | Time | Gap | Laps |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1m16.212s | - | 34 |
2 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1m16.627s | 0.415s | 38 |
3 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus/Mercedes | 1m17.721s | 1.509s | 35 |
4 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India/Mercedes | 1m17.871s | 1.659s | 34 |
5 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1m17.905s | 1.693s | 25 |
6 | Felipe Massa | Williams/Mercedes | 1m17.985s | 1.773s | 28 |
7 | Daniil Kvyat | Red Bull/Renault | 1m18.021s | 1.809s | 30 |
8 | Pastor Maldonado | Lotus/Mercedes | 1m18.026s | 1.814s | 41 |
9 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren/Honda | 1m18.128s | 1.916s | 34 |
10 | Max Verstappen | Toro Rosso/Renault | 1m18.257s | 2.045s | 24 |
11 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams/Mercedes | 1m18.325s | 2.113s | 40 |
12 | Kimi Raikkonen | Ferrari | 1m18.439s | 2.227s | 26 |
13 | Sergio Perez | Force India/Mercedes | 1m18.503s | 2.291s | 28 |
14 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull/Renault | 1m18.775s | 2.563s | 24 |
15 | Jenson Button | McLaren/Honda | 1m18.786s | 2.574s | 25 |
16 | Felipe Nasr | Sauber/Ferrari | 1m18.948s | 2.736s | 30 |
17 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | Toro Rosso/Renault | 1m19.065s | 2.853s | 23 |
18 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber/Ferrari | 1m19.165s | 2.953s | 32 |
19 | Roberto Merhi | Marussia/Ferrari | 1m20.616s | 4.404s | 33 |
20 | Will Stevens | Marussia/Ferrari | 1m20.624s | 4.412s | 27 |

Formula 1 teams reject plan to bring back refuelling
Haas F1 team has 'nothing to hide' over Ferrari relationship

Latest news
The danger for Red Bull in its Barcelona F1 team orders choice
OPINION: Red Bull walked into a team orders saga on its way to taking a Spanish Grand Prix 1-2 last weekend, where it took the lead of the 2022 Formula 1 world championships for the first time. But its decisions have added an element of risk to later races
Why Mercedes' Spanish GP gains aren't as grand as they seemed
Mercedes' strong showing in last weekend's Spanish Grand Prix prompted team boss Toto Wolff to say it had halved its deficit to the leaders and its Formula 1 title chances were back on after a rocky start to the 2022 campaign. But a closer inspection of the team's performance suggests its gains aren't as grand as they first appeared
What's next for the Green Red Bull controversy?
From the 'pink Mercedes' to the 'Green Red Bull', the Silverstone-based team has received suspicious glares from up and down the Formula 1 paddock over its car design exploits. But after being cleared by the FIA over its Spanish Grand Prix updates amid a backdrop of cries of foul play, what's next in this saga?
Spanish Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2022
In an unusually hectic Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc was denied a dominant performance by his Ferrari engine letting go which allowed Max Verstappen to pick up the pieces. But numerous flashpoints kept the race twisting and turning throughout, with one perfect score from an emerging contender
How Verstappen overcame his and Red Bull’s errors to bounce back in double-quick time
Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari engine disaster offered an open goal for Max Verstappen and Red Bull to strike, but the reigning Formula 1 world champion still had to solve multiple errors and profit from a begrudged assist from team-mate Sergio Perez, which created an unexpectedly eventful Spanish Grand Prix
The risk-laden sector at the heart of F1's latest sponsorship arms race
No self-respecting Formula 1 team is complete these days without a cryptocurrency sponsor and a cupboard full of non-fungible tokens. STUART CODLING digs into the new sponsorship battleground and casts an eye on its future
Why Red Bull can win a Spanish GP that looked perfect for Ferrari
Formula 1's return to Spain on Friday ended with Ferrari leading the way from Mercedes, while Red Bull could only manage third fastest overall courtesy of Max Verstappen. But its chances of victory are far from remote with a deeper dig into the times despite Ferrari's strong start
Explaining the key aspects of Porsche and Audi's planned F1 entries
The VW Group’s German superpowers of sportscar racing have all but confirmed they are coming to F1 when the next set of engine rules come into force in 2026. Here's why both manufacturers are all set to take the plunge, and crucially how it might work