The first and only free practice session of the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix Sprint weekend delivered a chaotic and highly disrupted hour of running. Ferrari ended the session with Lewis Hamilton in third place, 0.774 seconds off the pace, and Charles Leclerc in fourth, 0.953 seconds behind. On paper, that might suggest the Scuderia could be in contention as the second-fastest team, but the reality appears far more complicated heading into Sprint Qualifying.
Ferrari arrived in Montreal without any upgrades for the SF-26, a notable contrast to rivals who have brought fresh developments to this crucial Sprint weekend. Before the green light, the FIA announced that, according to information reported by F1 expert Giuliano Duchessa, FP1 would feature a trial of a new rear light system linked to MGU-K power reduction states. The test followed feedback from drivers during the opening rounds of the season.
The revised system introduced a colour-coded method to distinguish between different MGU-K operating states: reduced MGU-K power, fully disabled MGU-K, and superclipping. Previously, all of these scenarios were indicated by the same sequence of flashing red lights, making it difficult to tell the difference. The standard lighting system will return for the remainder of the weekend, with the FIA set to evaluate next steps based on feedback from teams and drivers.
Here is how the session unfolded inside Ferrari’s Maranello garages.
Ferrari finishes third and fourth, but the gap tells another story
Both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton headed out early in the session on the hard compound tyres to begin their preparation work. However, the running was repeatedly interrupted by incidents that disrupted the teams’ programmes.
Around the 50-minute mark, Liam Lawson’s Racing Bulls car stopped on track, triggering a red flag and a temporary suspension. In response, the FIA extended the session by four minutes to compensate for lost running time before Sprint Qualifying.
It is worth remembering that Mercedes arrived in Montreal with a significant upgrade package, including a heavily revised floor and front wing, while McLaren also introduced several new developments. Given the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve’s emphasis on straight-line speed and power unit performance, this was never expected to be a particularly straightforward weekend for Ferrari and the SF-26.
The Italian team ran with a configuration very similar to the one used in Miami, although with a tighter engine cover layout. Once the session resumed, Ferrari switched focus toward qualifying-style simulations using the same tyre compounds as their rivals.
But disruption struck again.
Around the 35-minute mark, another red flag brought the session to a halt, this time after Alexander Albon heavily damaged his Williams at the Turn 7-8 chicane. The FIA responded by extending FP1 by an additional 15 minutes, giving teams more time to gather meaningful data in what was already the only practice session of the Sprint weekend.
Throughout the session, both Riccardo Adami’s counterpart Santi and Bryan Bozzi provided detailed radio guidance to Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, highlighting specific areas for improvement. Among the key points discussed were the approach into Turn 1 and the use of second gear at the hairpin, both critical sections around the Montreal circuit.
Lewis Hamilton looked sharper, but Ferrari still has concerns
The seven-time world champion appeared slightly more comfortable on the hard tyres, showing stronger consistency and a clearer ability to improve lap after lap. His progression looked more convincing compared to his Ferrari teammate during the longer early runs.
In the final 15 minutes, Ferrari bolted on the soft tyres to complete performance runs, mirroring what their direct rivals were doing. Once the first flying laps were completed, the picture became clearer.
Charles Leclerc found himself almost one second adrift of session leader Kimi Antonelli in the Mercedes, while Lewis Hamilton reduced the deficit to around seven tenths. Those are gaps that realistically do not place Ferrari in contention for the very top positions heading into Sprint Qualifying.
And perhaps the most important caveat is that neither McLaren nor Red Bull appeared to fully unleash their true pace during the session.
That makes Ferrari’s third and fourth positions look less encouraging than the classification initially suggests. While the raw result may create the impression that the Scuderia is firmly in the fight as the second-fastest team, the broader competitive picture indicates a far more difficult challenge awaits.
With just one practice session completed and Sprint Qualifying coming immediately afterwards, Ferrari’s engineers now face the difficult task of extracting every possible gain from setup adjustments alone, without the benefit of additional track time.
Unless rivals have significantly underperformed, Ferrari may once again find itself chasing rather than attacking in Montreal.
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