Hello and welcome to this Total Motorsport live blog for Free Practice 1 at the F1 2025 Canadian GP from Montreal as teams and drivers head across the pond for a classic Formula 1 race in one of the sport’s most iconic venues.
McLaren enter the race riding a wave of momentum after a commanding one-two finish in Spain, with Oscar Piastri leading the championship and Lando Norris just ten points behind. Montreal’s low-downforce layout, long straights, and infamous “Wall of Champions” provide the perfect stage for high-speed battles and strategy gambles. With three DRS zones and the ever-present threat of rain, teams must be ready to adapt quickly.
Max Verstappen arrives at one of his most successful circuits under unusual pressure. The Red Bull driver, aiming for a fourth consecutive win in Canada, is now just one penalty point away from a one-race ban
Total-Motorsport.com’s F1 2025 Canadian GP live updates for Free Practice 1 will offer fans unparalleled insight into team strategies, reliability concerns, and potential frontrunners. So stay tuned with us as FP1 at the F1 2025 Canadian GP unfolds live from Montreal.
F1 Canadian GP 2025 Free Practice 1 LIVE: Latest Updates
Your FP1 results
The full results for Free Practice 1 in Canada can be found here.
Chequered Flag in FP1
The chequered flag is flying in Montreal and Max Verstappen does end the session as the fastest man on track with a 1:13.193. It was a great session for the Williams drivers as Albon takes P2 and Sainz is P3, whilst the biggest story was certainly the big crash that Ferrari drive Charles Leclerc suffered halfway through the session.
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It remains to be seen how representative this session is, but McLaren will be hoping that it really isn’t. Lando Norris spent a lot of time fighting his car and ended up P7, whilst Oscar Piastri couldn’t get any higher than P14.
5 minutes to go
We mentioned that the two Williams are looking strong, they now sit P2 with Albon and P3 with Sainz. They appear to be getting quicker with each passing weekend and the early signs are promising here. Lewis Hamilton has managed to find some pace and has moved up to a more respectable P5 now, whilst Lance Stroll is back out on track after being forced to spend some time in the garage.
12 minutes to go
Oscar Piastri has had the least time on track so far today and he is still yet to put the sort of lap together that gets him close to Verstappen, Russell etc. He sits in P16 and has been on the radio to ask his team if they can find him some clear track to run in. With Norris only in P12, there is an outside chance that the McLaren’s may not be quite so relentlessly fast in Canada. It’s still very early in the weekend, though.
17 minutes to go
Fernando Alonso is angry with Alex Albon out of Turn 2 and has told his team as much on the radio. We’re yet to see exactly how the Williams impeded the Aston Martin driver. Norris has gone for an early practice start in the pit lane, whilst Vertsappen just brushed the wall on the exit of the final chicane.
21 minutes to go
The action has certainly died down here with many drivers ironing out the small mistakes and not wanting to end up in the wall like Leclerc. Both Williams drivers appear to have some pace at the early stage of this weekend, whilst Pierre Gasly is looking strong in his Alpine.
28 minutes to go
The usual suspects are currently the quickest on track with the soft tyres. George Russell has just put in the fastest time with a 1:13.535, with Verstappen P2, Leclerc P3, Norris P4. Tsunoda is down in P12, Piastri is P11 and Hamilton has only managed to reach P16 so far.
35 minutes to go
We’re back underway in Canada. Although there’s an immediate yellow flag which is quickly cleared. Leclerc still has the fastest time, but he certainly won’t be improving on it.
46 minutes to go: RED FLAG
Charles Leclerc is in the barrier and that’s a big crash. The Ferrari driver locked a front wheel heading into Turn 3 and then clipped the inside barrier with serious force, pushing the car back across into the barrier at the exit of the chicane. That Ferrari certainly won’t take part in this session any longer and they’ve got a job to do if he is to take part in FP2 later today.
51 minutes to go
Kimi Antonelli is the latest rookie to have a problem. He locks the rear and has a little venture onto the grass but he’s also back on his way. There are a handful of drivers who have never competed at this circuit before so those errors are perhaps to be expected.
54 minutes to go
Verstappen complained about heavy steering at the end of his first flying lap and his engineer has told him that they’re monitoring the issue. He’s been told to stay out for now.
57 minutes to go
Early spin for Franco Colapinto, who has never raced here before. He started his first flying lap and suffered an incredibly lazy spin in the middle of Turn 2. Brief yellow flags and now he’s on his way again.
Cars on track
We’re underway in FP1 at the Canadian Grand Prix. The majority of the grid is straight out on track as they look to make the most of this hour-long session. The sky is looking largely blue, no real danger of rain here.
Verstappen on his best behaviour
One of the major things to look out for this weekend at the Canadian Grand Prix is the conduct of Max Verstappen. He needs to get through this grand prix, and the Austrian Grand Prix, without a penalty if he is to avoid a race ban. One more penalty point on his super license will result in a ban, but two points are wiped after Austria.
It would be quite something if he managed to get a penalty during Free Practice 1, but it’s something to keep an eye on as the weekend develops.
Where to Watch 2025 Canadian GP FP1?
For viewers in the United States, 2025 Canadian GP Free Practice 1 will be shown on ESPNU, with streaming coverage via ESPN+.
In the UK, all sessions, including 2025 Canadian GP FP1 are available on Sky Sports F1. And fans in Australia can catch all the action on Fox Sports 506, Kayo Sports, and Foxtel.
What time is FP1 at the 2025 Canadian GP?
Free Practice 1 for the 2025 Canadian GP begins at 1:30pm local time on Friday in Montreal. That means an early evening start for F1 fans in the UK, where FP1 begins at 6:30pm on Friday.
Over in the USA, the 2025 Canadian GP FP1 session begins at 1:30pm ET on Friday afternoon, which means a 10:30am PT start for those on the West Coast
