George Russell says the 20-point gap to Mercedes team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the drivers' championship after four rounds “means nothing” and insists there is no need to panic. Russell said: "It's just another race and it's not even in my mind, the championship. I know what I'm capable of, I know the speed I've got. So, there's really no need to panic at all. I actually look back on my F2 season, which is obviously the last time I fought for a championship, and I was P6 after four races in F2 and about 35 points down. So at this point it means nothing."

Liam Lawson is due to see the stewards before sprint qualifying at the Canadian Grand Prix after his car stopped 12 minutes into FP1 and triggered a red flag. FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer referred the case because the clutch disengagement system did not function when marshals tried to recover the car, stating: “When car 30 stopped on the track during FP1, the marshals pressed the CDS button at 12:41” but “the CDS was not working as required by the F1 Regulations, Article C9.3.”


Kimi Antonelli led a Mercedes 1-2 amid three red flags in the sole practice session at the Canadian Grand Prix




P1) Kimi Antonelli - 1:13.402 P2) George Russell: +0.142 P3) Lewis Hamilton: +0.774 P4) Charles Leclerc: +0.953 P5) Max Verstappen: +0.964 P6) Lando Norris: +1.397 P7) Oscar Piastri: +1.561 P8) Arvid Lindblad: +2.050 P9) Nico Hulkenberg: +2.296 P10) Fernando Alonso: +2.461 P11) Gabriel Bortoleto: +2.812 P12) Isack Hadjar: +2.851 P13) Esteban Ocon: +3.095 P14) Alexander Albon: +3.240 P15) Carlos Sainz Jnr: +3.258 P16) Pierre Gasly: +3.407 P17) Lance Stroll: +3.576 P18) Liam Lawson: +4.029 P19) Oliver Bearman: +4.368 P20) Valtteri Bottas: +4.466 P21) Sergio Perez: +4.524 P22) Franco Colapinto - -



A second red flag has been flown in practice ahead of the Canadian GP, sadly with the loss of a marmot.

A huge blow for Liam Lawson right at the start of the Canadian Grand Prix weekend!

The FIA has confirmed it will trial a new colour-coded rear-light system for power unit derating during the sole practice session at the Canadian Grand Prix, following driver feedback. For the Montreal test, different MGU-K states will be shown as “no longer at full power” in blue, “fully cut” in purple and “super clip” in yellow, instead of all three being covered by the current flashing red-light pattern.


🇨🇦 FP1



Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu says Formula 1 should not raise the cost cap as stakeholders discuss more significant changes to the power unit regulations for 2027. Komatsu said: "This is the problem. I don't want to increase the budget cap. Already this year's budget gap is a lot higher. And then to have another reason to, again, increase another two million, another five million, then it's not a budget cap anymore."

Oliver Bearman says he has not yet “earned the right” to race in other categories, after being asked if he would follow Max Verstappen into events such as the Nurburgring 24 Hours. Bearman said: "But what Max has shown is that every category has its own nuances and fun parts. And I think endurance is something really, really cool and unique inside of motorsport. However, Max has won four world titles and is one of the best drivers, if not the best driver on the grid. So I think you need to earn it – earn the right to go and explore other categories and that's not something I've done."

Alpine driver Franco Colapinto says the upgrades and set-up changes the team ran in Miami have given them more confidence heading into the Canadian Grand Prix. Colapinto said: "It shows that what we did [upgrade and set-up wise] paid off, so I think generally it's been a part of a good weekend, because we scored points with both cars; it was a much better weekend because of how strong we were, so I think definitely it gives us more confidence coming into Canada."


Carlos Sainz has urged the FIA and Formula 1 to stand firm on the proposed 2027 power-unit rules, with manufacturers split over whether to introduce a 60:40 split between internal combustion and electric power in 2027 or delay it until 2028. Sainz said: "If anything, from here, I can ask the FIA and FOM to be tough with what they believe is the right thing for the sport, and even if you need to vote, and I don't know how the system works in the F1 Commission, but that they stand firm and believe in what is right for the sport."

Lando Norris says McLaren should not assume it will be able to take the fight straight to Mercedes at the Canadian Grand Prix because it is still unclear how the team’s Miami upgrades will perform on Montreal’s lower-grip tarmac. Norris said: "I don't want to get ahead of ourselves just yet because we know how good Mercedes has been. They also have their upgrades, and we need to see how the upgrades that we had in Miami translate to a much lower grip tarmac. Miami is very high-grip. The tarmac here is much lower grip, so we just need to understand how well the car will translate between those two worlds."

Oscar Piastri says reports linking him with a future move to Red Bull are “news” to him and that there have been no discussions, adding he is happy at McLaren. Piastri said: "It is news to me, yes. There's obviously not been any discussions or anything, but it's flattering and there's not really much more than that, really. I think, hopefully, it proves my stock as a driver, which is a nice thing, but I'm very happy with where I am."

The FIA has set a new season-low qualifying energy limit for this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, cutting maximum harvestable energy to 6.0 MJ per lap for qualifying and Sprint Qualifying in a bid to promote more “flat-out qualifying laps”. The lower figure, down from the 7.0 MJ used in Australia and below Miami’s 8.0 MJ, is intended to reduce the need for lift-and-coast and other energy-harvesting compromises, while the Sprint and Grand Prix will still run at 8.0 MJ, rising to 8.5 MJ in Overtake Mode.


Max Verstappen says changes to Formula 1’s regulations to lessen the reliance on electrification are “very positive” and could persuade him to stay in the sport, speaking ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix. Verstappen said: "Yeah, definitely. I just want a good product in Formula 1, and that will, for sure, improve the product... Like I said before, it will make the product better, so that means that I'm happier, and that's what I want, to be able to continue in Formula 1. I see the team really progressing, and that's also very exciting to see."

Lewis Hamilton says he is not considering retirement from Formula 1 and plans to race “for quite some time”, after being asked ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix about his situation for next season. Hamilton said: "Yeah [I'm content with my situation for next season]. I'm still in contract so everything is 100% clear to me. I'm still focused and motivated. I'm going to be here for quite some time so get used to it. There's a lot of people that are trying to retire me and that's not even in my thoughts. I'm already planning for the next five years."


Pierre Gasly warned his fellow Formula 1 drivers they are "going to be shocked" by wet running after he took part in a two-day full-wet tyre test at Magny-Cours for Pirelli, before refusing to expand on what he found. Gasly said: "You guys are going to be shocked. I'm glad I've done these two days, yes. It's going to be interesting for you guys... You don't want me to answer that question."


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