ANTONELLI TOPS CHAOTIC FP1 SESSION IN MONTREAL
The only free practice session of the Formula 1 weekend was full of problems, red flags, and surprises. Before the session started, the FIA announced it would test new rear light colors during FP1. Blue lights showed when the MGU-K was no longer at full power, purple showed when it was completely cut, and yellow showed when the system was recharging energy.
The session began with a green flag, but trouble appeared almost immediately. After only 10 minutes, Liam Lawson was forced to stop because of what looked like an engine issue. The interruption caused the FIA to extend the session by four minutes.
During the first part of the session, Mercedes looked very strong. After 20 minutes and a Virtual Safety Car period, the team was running in first and second place. Soon after, the session was stopped again with a red flag when Alex Albon crashed into the wall at the exit of Turn 7. At that moment, Oscar Piastri had the fastest lap with a 1:14.963.
Franco Colapinto also had a difficult session. He suffered power issues at the beginning and could not complete a proper lap. Later, it became clear that he would probably not return to the track at all.
Lewis Hamilton had a scary moment when he went through the grass, but he avoided major damage and continued running. Later in the session, another strange detail appeared about Albon’s crash. Reports suggested that a groundhog crossing the track may have caused the accident, continuing the famous history of wildlife appearing at the circuit.
After the cleanup, the green flag returned and the FIA added another 15 minutes to the practice session. Drivers slowly returned to normal programs, and after 30 minutes Kimi Antonelli moved to the top of the timesheets with a lap of 1:14.392, even while the leading drivers were still using hard tyres.
Hamilton later recorded the highest top speed of the session at 334 km/h. As the final part of practice began, teams switched focus to qualifying simulations. George Russell was the first driver to use soft tyres, and he quickly set the fastest lap with a 1:13.850.
Not long after, Antonelli answered with an even faster lap of 1:13.402, putting himself ahead of Russell by almost half a second. Piastri could have challenged the Mercedes drivers, but he lost time after locking the front tyres into the final corner.
The closing minutes brought even more drama. Russell spun at the exit of Turn 1, and shortly after another red flag stopped the session when Esteban Ocon lost his front wing on track. The incident caused a heavy impact and forced marshals to clean the circuit once again.
When the session restarted for the final minutes, drivers used the opportunity to practice race starts. In the end, Kimi Antonelli finished as the fastest driver in the only practice session of the weekend, ending an eventful FP1 on top of the timesheets.
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