The first free practice session at the Gilles Villeneuve circuit brought a major surprise: Kimi Antonelli, the young prodigy from the Mercedes academy, took the best time, beating his own teammate, George Russell. The Canadian track, demanding in power and precision, saw an agile and fast Mercedes, raising doubts about the hierarchical order in the silver garage ahead of qualifying.
The evolution of the W16: traction and efficiency in Montreal 🏎️
The performance of the W16 in FP1 points to a setup focused on low-speed traction, a historical weak point for the team. The slow corners of the final sector, like the Casino hairpin, were where Antonelli made the difference, taking advantage of a softer suspension and smoother power delivery from the Mercedes engine. The German team seems to have found a balance between the aerodynamic load needed for fast corners and straight-line efficiency, something that penalized their direct rivals like Red Bull.
Russell, Antonelli's official tester 🤡
While Antonelli celebrated his time, George Russell sought comfort in the telemetry data, wondering if his seat is that of a lead driver or a guinea pig for the rookie. The scene was almost poetic: the 18-year-old giving racing line lessons to the experienced Briton, who could only scratch his head in front of his monitor. If this continues, at Silverstone we'll see Russell carrying the rookie's ice bags.