Mercedes expected the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and the cooler conditions would suit their car. Those predictions were borne out on the first day of practice.

Teams’ 2024 performance in context

Last year’s race was a particularly strong one for Mercedes and a particularly poor one for Ferrari. Red Bull and McLaren’s pace was typical of their 2024 form. George Russell and Max Verstappen set identical lap times in qualifying as they shared the front row of the grid, though both Mercedes drivers lapped quicker earlier in the session.

Teams’ progress vs 2024

Although Nico Hulkenberg’s fifth place in the Spanish Grand Prix owed a lot to how the Safety Car played into his hands, Sauber were also encouraged by the performance of the upgrade package they introduced. Friday’s running in Canada gave them more cause for optimism as the C45 set promising lap times from the start.

In contrast, while Ferrari’s pace shows a slight improvement compared to last year, that needs to be seen in light of the fact they were especially poor at this track 12 months ago. Lewis Hamilton was the quickest non-Mercedes-powered driver but only eighth at the end of the day.

Teams’ 2024 and 2025 times

Red Bull and McLaren’s performance appears to fit into the usual pattern. Verstappen was some way off the pace on Friday but many times this year that has proved the precursor to a stronger performance on Saturday. The key question will be whether his team mate Yuki Tsunoda can also find more from his car and ensure both Red Bulls reach Q3.

First and second practice times

Friday’s practice will have left Mercedes entertaining hopes of a repeat of the pole position Russell claimed at the track last year.

“This was one of our more positive Fridays from a pace point of view,” said trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin. “We expected the track to be better suited to our car than some recent circuits, with the cooler conditions helping on the long run too.”

P. # Driver Team FP1 time FP2 time Gap Laps
1 63 George Russell Mercedes 1’13.535 1’12.123 62
2 4 Lando Norris McLaren-Mercedes 1’13.651 1’12.151 0.028 62
3 12 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1’14.002 1’12.411 0.288 63
4 23 Alexander Albon Williams-Mercedes 1’13.232 1’12.445 0.322 64
5 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin-Mercedes 1’13.972 1’12.458 0.335 56
6 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren-Mercedes 1’14.198 1’12.562 0.439 60
7 55 Carlos Sainz Jnr Williams-Mercedes 1’13.275 1’12.631 0.508 68
8 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1’13.620 1’12.653 0.530 64
9 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull-Honda RBPT 1’13.193 1’12.666 0.543 59
10 30 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT 1’13.737 1’12.751 0.628 60
11 6 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT 1’13.631 1’12.799 0.676 62
12 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine-Renault 1’13.817 1’12.874 0.751 63
13 5 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber-Ferrari 1’14.324 1’12.896 0.773 62
14 27 Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 1’14.821 1’12.914 0.791 61
15 22 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull-Honda RBPT 1’13.927 1’12.939 0.816 62
16 87 Oliver Bearman Haas-Ferrari 1’14.520 1’13.080 0.957 66
17 31 Esteban Ocon Haas-Ferrari 1’14.605 1’13.175 1.052 56
18 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1’13.885 1.762 9
19 43 Franco Colapinto Alpine-Renault 1’14.645 1’13.898 1.775 62
20 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin-Mercedes 1’14.203 No time 2.080 27

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