Mercedes drivers locked out the top three positions in a chaotic free practice session at the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal on Friday.
Kimi Antonelli led the field ahead of teammates George Russell and Lewis Hamilton after a session disrupted by multiple incidents and track debris.
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The practice was halted three times due to on-track incidents, requiring a 15-minute extension to complete 36 minutes of running time.
Alex Albon triggered a red flag after spinning into the wall at Turn 7, reportedly caused by avoiding a marmot on the track.
Esteban Ocon caused another red flag later when he lost control over exit kerbs and spun into the wall at Turns 4 and 5, leaving debris and damaging his Haas car's nosecone.
Ocon was also noted for exiting the pit lane under a red light.
Technical Upgrades and Driver Issues
Several teams introduced technical upgrades for the Montreal event, including McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull, Williams, Racing Bulls, Haas, Audi, Alpine, and Cadillac, debuting new aerodynamic and cooling components.
Ferrari and Aston Martin did not report any updates.
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McLaren's Oscar Piastri faced vehicle dynamics challenges before securing a top-ten spot.
His team suggested manual deactivation of straight mode, suspecting a lock-up occurred before airflow could reattach to the rear wing.
Max Verstappen finished fifth fastest but experienced mechanical and handling issues during his hard-tyre stint.
"I keep getting these weird snaps a lot with the lower gear downshifts, it's like the diff opens," Verstappen said.
He later reported heavier steering.
The final top ten standings: Antonelli, Russell, Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, Verstappen, Lando Norris, Piastri, Dennis Lindblad, Nico Hulkenberg, and Fernando Alonso.
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Valtteri Bottas suffered a mechanical issue that limited data collection for Cadillac.
