Overview
- On Friday in Montreal, Mercedes ran a major W17 aerodynamic upgrade and Kimi Antonelli set the fastest time in the lone practice session, underlining the car's straight‑away pace.
- George Russell responded later by taking sprint qualifying pole, edging Antonelli by 0.068 seconds and narrowing the focus to a tense intra‑team championship battle.
- Practice and qualifying were disrupted by three red flags, including Alex Albon hitting a groundhog and destroying his Williams so he missed sprint qualifying, and Fernando Alonso crashing out of SQ1.
- Drivers and teams are reacting to planned 2027 power‑unit changes that cut electrical output toward a roughly 60:40 combustion‑electric split, a shift Max Verstappen said improves the product and could influence his future in the sport.
- The FIA is set after Canada to confirm an ADUO development relief scheme that would give behind‑market engine makers extra time and budget to close the gap to Mercedes, a move aimed at restoring parity over coming seasons.