Max Verstappen tops FP1 at the Canadian GP as Leclerc crashes and teams test key upgrades on a tricky evolving track.
The tenth round of the 2025 F1 season kicks off with the Canadian Grand Prix. Free Practice 1 is scheduled from 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM French time, marking the opening session of what promises to be a complex weekend.
Since the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit is laid out on public roads, track evolution is expected to be significant throughout the sessions. Teams will need to optimise the car’s setup to understand the tyres and extract maximum performance.
Tyre performance remains a major question mark as Pirelli’s softest C6 compounds return. Although the track isn’t especially demanding on tyres, high temperatures are expected and could lead to sharp drops in performance with this compound.
Haas F1 is running a special livery this weekend to celebrate what is the 200th Grand Prix in the American team’s history. Nearly a decade after its debut, the team pays tribute to its original design on the VF-25 liveries.
7:10 PM: Five teams are introducing updates this weekend. McLaren has a new front wing, rear wing, and suspension. Mercedes brings revised floor edges and front brake ducts specific to the circuit. Aston Martin is also upgrading its brake ducts, while Alpine has introduced a new front wing with shorter flaps for Montreal. Racing Bulls feature a circuit-specific front wing and rear brake ducts with revised flaps.
7:13 PM: After withdrawing from the Spanish Grand Prix following qualifying, Lance Stroll returns to the wheel for Aston Martin after undergoing wrist surgery by Dr. Xavier Mir.
7:18 PM: Gabriel Bortoleto nearly missed the Canadian GP after his documents were stolen in Switzerland. While at the Sauber factory in Hinwil, thieves broke into his car and took his bag containing his passport. Fortunately, it was recovered: “I had gone to dinner one night in Switzerland and they broke into the car and took my backpack. I had my passports, everything inside, my laptop, all my racing gear. It was chaos, but we managed to find the guy. Everything worked out in the end. I got my passports back. We didn’t recover everything, but we got some things.”
7:30 PM: Free Practice 1 is underway.
7:33 PM: Yellow flag is out as Franco Colapinto spins. The Alpine driver gets going again without issue.
7:35 PM: Max Verstappen reports heavy steering but temporarily tops the timesheets.
7:37 PM: Charles Leclerc takes the lead, but is immediately beaten by Isack Hadjar with a 1’15.419 on medium tyres. Verstappen’s engineer confirms there are no reliability issues with the car.
7:39 PM: Alex Albon moves to the top, only for Verstappen to go quicker with a 1’14.478. Kimi Antonelli makes a mistake due to rear wheel lock-up.
7:43 PM: Lando Norris was on a fast lap but made a mistake at the hairpin. Albon moves into second, while Leclerc sets the best time with a 1’13.885. Carlos Sainz places the second Williams provisionally in fifth.
7:44 PM: Norris climbs to third, Hadjar to fifth.
7:45 PM: Red flag as Leclerc crashes his Ferrari into the wall at Turn 3. After hitting the left-hand barrier, the car bounces back onto the track. The driver is unharmed.
7:51 PM: Leclerc admits he should have gone straight instead of trying to take the corner and smashing into the tyres (see video).
7:53 PM: The session is about to resume.
7:58 PM: Mistakes are piling up. After Norris and Russell cut a corner, Hamilton spins.
7:59 PM: Verstappen retakes the lead with a 1’13.883.
8:01 PM: Russell goes quicker with a 1’13.535. In the top 10, Lawson and Hadjar are still on medium tyres, and the C6 compound doesn’t appear significantly better at this stage.
8:06 PM: Verstappen improves to 1’13.193, with Sainz just 0.082 seconds behind.
8:10 PM: Albon jumps to second, 0.039 seconds behind Verstappen, who brushed the wall in the final corner.
8:15 PM: Norris made a mistake at the first corner, and the Briton still seems to be struggling to complete a clean lap.
8:17 PM: While Norris is 13th, Piastri is 16th and is asking his team to “find a clean part of the track.”
8:22 PM: Norris made the same mistake at the hairpin, with the rear sliding out and unsettling the front.
8:27 PM: Hamilton made a mistake, but without consequences. Norris sets the seventh fastest time.
8:30 PM: The checkered flag is waved, marking the end of this FP1 session!
2025 F1 Canadian Grand Prix – Practice Results
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 1m13.193s |
| 2 | Alex Albon | Atlassian Williams Racing | 1m13.232s |
| 3 | Carlos Sainz | Atlassian Williams Racing | 1m13.275s |
| 4 | George Russell | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | 1m13.535s |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Scuderia Ferrari HP | 1m13.620s |
| 6 | Isack Hadjar | Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team | 1m13.631s |
| 7 | Lando Norris | McLaren F1 Team | 1m13.651s |
| 8 | Liam Lawson | Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team | 1m13.737s |
| 9 | Pierre Gasly | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 1m13.817s |
| 10 | Charles Leclerc | Scuderia Ferrari HP | 1m13.885s |
| 11 | Yuki Tsunoda | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 1m13.927s |
| 12 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team | 1m13.972s |
| 13 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | 1m14.002s |
| 14 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren F1 Team | 1m14.198s |
| 15 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team | 1m14.203s |
| 16 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber | 1m14.324s |
| 17 | Oliver Bearman | MoneyGram Haas F1 Team | 1m14.520s |
| 18 | Esteban Ocon | MoneyGram Haas F1 Team | 1m14.605s |
| 19 | Franco Colapinto | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 1m14.645s |
| 20 | Nico Hulkenberg | Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber | 1m14.821s |
