Alisha Palmowski clocked the fastest time in the sole F1 Academy practice session at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve on Friday, May 22, 2026, marking the series' return to Montreal after a 69-day break.
The Red Bull Racing program driver posted a benchmark lap of 1:39.797 on the dusty, low-grip street circuit, edging championship leader Emma Felbermayr by about two-tenths of a second.
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Felbermayr, backed by Audi, moved into second place late in the session with a 1:39.602, while rookies Megan Bruce and Lisa Billard took third and fourth, respectively.
The weekend has been expanded to a triple-header after the cancellation of the Saudi Arabia round due to geopolitical conflict.
The revised schedule includes an additional opening race on Saturday morning, offering 65 points for drivers and 145 for teams.
All three races will be determined by a single qualifying session, where each driver's fastest and second-fastest laps set the grids.
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Consistency will be key, as the grid for the opening race is based on the second-fastest time from Friday evening.
The 40-minute practice saw several incidents, including a spin from Jade Jacquet and suspension damage for Alba Larsen after brushing the wall.
Larsen enters the weekend 27 points behind Felbermayr, having scored only four points in Shanghai due to a broken front wing and restart error.
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The field now heads into Friday evening's critical qualifying session to set the starting positions for the three races.
