Max Verstappen may have claimed P1 in FP1 of the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix, but the real story of Friday’s opening session was the lack of grip and a series of off-track moments. Those moments were capped off by a dramatic red flag for Charles Leclerc. There were other surprises too, most notably McLaren’s apparent lack of pace, and others. Was our preview correct in what the Canadian GP would bring?
Early On: Grip Optional, Mistakes Mandatory
The session began with Charles Leclerc setting the early pace at 1:13.885. His time remained competitive. But even that didn’t last long, as grip was clearly missing at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. Franco Colapinto spun on his very first push lap. Kimi Antonelli and Lando Norris both locked up at key corners, while George Russell reported throttle pickup issues. Even Verstappen had a moment at the hairpin, fighting for traction.
Then, with 43 minutes left on the clock, Leclerc’s day took an unexpected turn. Running wide on the grass after a lockup between Turns 3 and 4, the Ferrari driver thought he’d cleared the wall. He hadn’t. His front-left struck the barrier in a bizarre self-inflicted crash that nearly tore the wheel off and brought out a red flag.
Green Flag to Restart: Grip Still Hiding
With 36 minutes left, the session resumed. However, not much had changed. Oscar Piastri was over 1.7 seconds off the pace on his real first flyer. Lewis Hamilton later spun at the hairpin, a sign that Ferrari may be struggling.
Softs weren’t biting, but as the track evolved, the times finally began to drop. Russell grabbed P1 on a 1:13.535, and Gasly finally broke the top 10 with a lap 0.853s behind Russell. Antonelli briefly popped into the top 10 with a solid effort. Is Mercedes sniffing a double points finish this weekend? But just as quickly as George took the top spot, Verstappen snatched it back with a 1:13.193. Carlos Sainz followed in P2 for Williams, just 0.082s off.
Final Attempts
As the clock ticked down, Albon delivered a stunner to go into P2, only 0.039s behind Verstappen. Whether this reflects true pace or just Friday fluff remains to be seen, but both Williams cars finished in the top three. Not a bad way to start the weekend.
Meanwhile, Tsunoda couldn’t close the gap to his teammate and finished over seven-tenths behind in 11th. The pressure continues to mount, with talk of his Red Bull future ongoing amid the current circumstances surrounding Verstappen.
Hulkenberg, strong in Spain, languished in P20. And Oscar Piastri, reportedly running a different setup, couldn’t crack the top 10, ending the session 14th and over a second off the pace.
What’s to Come?
Was this just another unrepresentative FP1 session in the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix, or was this session a glimpse of the race to come? We’ll have to wait to find out in FP2 in just a couple of hours. Can McLaren reclaim their dominant form? Can Max continue to be a thorn in McLaren’s side? Will Ferrari be able to silence the rumors and show why they have faith in Fred Vasseur? Let’s find out!
Feature Image: Red Bull Content Pool
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