Canadian GP: Max fifth in only practice session

Published on 22 May 2026 by Stefan Meens

Max Verstappen has clocked the fifth fastest lap during the first and only practice session of the Canadian Grand Prix. In a disjointed session, a result of three red flags, Kimi Antonelli set the pace, followed by Mercedes teammate George Russell. The Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton (P3) and Charles Leclerc (P4) where best of the rest, almost eight tenths adrift.

As it is a sprint weekend, track time is in high demand during the only practice session before the drivers head into Friday afternoon’s sprint qualifying, Saturday’s sprint and Saturday's Grand Prix qualifying.

It is a botched start for Franco Colapinto and Liam Lawson. The former’s Alpine nearly grinds to a halt, but the Argentinian nurses his car to the pits with a technical problem. Lawson is more unfortunate with this Racing Bull shutting down and having to be pushed behind the barriers by the marshals. The stricken RB prompts the first red flag of the session at a time when Max tops the leaderboards.

With forty minutes to go, the lap times drop with several drivers briefly claiming P1. Oscar Piastri (McLaren), Hamilton, Russell and Antonelli all lap the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve quicker than Max’s early benchmark.

The second red flag is waved just before the halfway point after Alex Albon has ended up in the wall in turn seven. The Williams driver tried to avoid a crossing groundhog and clattered into the barriers, causing a lot of damage to his car and ending his session early.

Race control decides to extend the session by nineteen minutes to compensate for the time lost under the red flags. It is the first time the FIA used this rule, which only applies to Sprint weekends.

The Mercedes continue to top the timing sheets with Antonelli pipping Russell by a small margin; 0.050s. At McLaren, Piastri is two tenths quicker than reigning champion Norris and at Ferrari Hamilton is marginally quicker than Leclerc.

Meanwhile, Max is on a long run, working on the RB22’s race set-up. He duly drops down to eighth, but improves to fifth at the end of the session, courtesy of a lap on a brand-new set of soft Pirellis.

In the closing stages, the Haas of Esteban Ocon limps back to the pits without a front wing. The Frenchman has hit the wall, following a spin. The subsequent red flag with five minutes left, effectively ends the first and only practice session of the weekend. Mercedes finish on top, followed by the two Ferraris. Max completes the top five.

Results first free practice Canada: