Montreal : Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes set the fastest time in free practice for the Canadian Grand Prix, part of the Formula 1 World Championship, held on Friday at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.
Antonelli, 19, recorded a best lap of 1m 13.402s, continuing his strong form this season and giving Mercedes a promising start after introducing their first major upgrade package.
His British team mate George Russell finished second, 0.142 seconds behind, while Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton placed third ahead of team mate Charles Leclerc.
Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing finished fifth, while McLaren’s Lando Norris was sixth, followed by his Australian team mate Oscar Piastri in seventh.
The 60-minute practice session was interrupted three times by red flags due to incidents on track before being extended to make up for lost time.
