Silver Arrows Rule Montreal: Antonelli Tops Wild FP1 As Russell Strikes Back In Sprint Qualifying

Sports

Mercedes made their mark on day one of the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix Sprint weekend, with Kimi Antonelli and George Russell trading blows across a chaotic Friday that featured groundhog collisions, multiple red flags, and a fierce intra team title battle.

FREE PRACTICE 1

Antonelli led Mercedes team mate George Russell and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton in the sole Free Practice session, with the championship leader posting a fastest lap of 1:13.402 just over a tenth clear of Russell as Mercedes made the most of a significant new upgrade package brought to Montreal.

The session was red-flagged three times for a Liam Lawson car failure, Alex Albon crashing after hitting a groundhog, and Esteban Ocon spinning into the wall and was extended to allow teams a little more running ahead of Sprint Qualifying. Albon later suffered further misery after it was confirmed the collision had killed the marmot. Max Verstappen ended the session fifth, nearly a full second off the pace.

SPRINT QUALIFYING

Russell responded in style when it mattered. He beat championship leading team mate Antonelli to claim pole position for the Sprint race at the Canadian Grand Prix, reversing the order from practice in dominant fashion.

The session was not without incident Fernando Alonso brought out red flags in SQ1, while Liam Lawson joined Alex Albon in missing Sprint Qualifying after both were affected by earlier session dramas.

With Antonelli holding a 20 point championship lead over Russell heading into the weekend, tomorrow's Sprint race promises to be a compelling battle between two Mercedes teammates with everything to prove on the streets of Montreal.