After a wait of more than two months following the cancellation of the Jeddah Round in April, F1 Academy finally returned to action at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. Ahead of the weekend’s three F1 Academy races at the 2026 Canadian GP, the first and only Free Practice session got underway with eighteen drivers, including Standard-Chartered-backed Wild Card Entry Autumn Fisher, taking to the track for the first time of the weekend.
Red Bull Racing-backed Alisha Palmowski emerged fastest after a late flurry of improvements, topping the timesheets ahead of championship leader Emma Felbermayr and TAG Heuer-backed Megan Bruce as drivers adapted to cool conditions and a rapidly evolving track throughout the session.
Lloyd sets the early benchmark as the 2026 F1 Academy Montreal Round gets underway
As the clock struck 09:00 in Montreal, 17 of the 18 drivers headed out onto the circuit for an exploratory opening lap. However, LEGO-backed Esmee Kosterman remained in the pit box as the pit lane emptied, with mechanics attending to an apparent issue on her car. Fortunately for the F1 Academy rookie, who is set to compete at the track for the first time, the problem was resolved within minutes, allowing her to join the rest of the field on track for what proved to be an uneventful opening lap.
With just over five minutes elapsed, McLaren-backed Ella Lloyd set the early benchmark with a 1:50.229. However, no other driver attempted a timed lap, instead returning to the pit lane for set-up changes. Taking advantage of the clear track, Lloyd then improved to a 1:42.906 on her next tour of the circuit.
First lap times on the board
With the first quarter of the session elapsed, other drivers began posting representative lap times, with Alpine-backed Nina Gademan moving into second with a 1:43.576. Meanwhile, Ferrari-backed Alba Larsen sat third with a 1:44.994. Although several other drivers completed their first flying laps, a brief yellow flag — triggered when Williams-backed Jade Jacquet spun — disrupted others’ runs. Nevertheless, Jacquet quickly recovered, restoring full green-flag running.
That allowed Audi-backed Emma Felbermayr, the championship leader, to move to the top of the timesheets with a 1:42.604. However, just minutes later, Gademan bettered that effort with an encouraging 1:41.876. Larsen also improved to third with a 1:42.705, while PUMA-backed Rachel Robertson and American Express-backed Ava Dobson moved into fourth and fifth with laps of 1:42.824 and 1:42.828, respectively.
As the session reached its halfway point, TAG Heuer-backed Megan Bruce produced the next major improvement, posting a 1:41.859.
Times continue to tumble into the second half of 2026 F1 Academy Free Practice in Montreal at the Canadian GP
Into the second half of the session, lap times continued to improve, with Felbermayr moving to the top with a 1:41.362, ahead of Larsen and Racing Bulls-backed Rafaela Ferreira, whose 1:41.471 placed her third ahead of Nina Gademan.
With just over 17 minutes remaining, Larsen became the next driver to go fastest, her 1:41.038 edging out Gatorade-backed Lisa Billard’s 1:41.353. However, neither driver stayed at the top for long, as Red Bull Racing-backed Alisha Palmowski surged to the head of the timesheets with a 1:40.409. Ferreira also improved to second, moving ahead of Larsen with a 1:40.982, while Bruce and Robertson climbed to fourth and fifth, respectively, both ahead of Billard.
As the track continued to warm up and tyres reached their optimum operating window, the middle phase of the session brought significant movement on the timesheets. However, some drivers struggled to stay within the limits, spinning as they searched for performance — a potential concern ahead of the highly competitive sessions to come. Palmowski, though, avoided any such mistakes on her next flying lap, improving again with a 1:39.894 to strengthen her hold on top spot.
Palmowski tops a competitive session
After the majority of the grid made brief visits to the pit lane, the drivers returned to the circuit for the final quarter of the session, with Palmowski improving once again to strengthen her position at the top with a 1:39.797. Meanwhile, Race Control noted Dobson and Billard for potential pit lane speeding offences, to be investigated after the session, while Gademan and Dobson narrowly avoided a collision on track.
Inside the final five minutes, Palmowski improved again with a 1:39.271, while Bruce moved into third with a 1:40.309. Felbermayr, meanwhile, climbed to second with a 1:40.184 as she embarked on another fast lap and remained in contention for the quickest time. Elsewhere, Dobson narrowly avoided the wall at Turn 7, kicking up dust in the process.
Larsen and Billard both improved again soon after, with Larsen taking second on a 1:40.179, just ahead of Billard’s 1:40.182. However, Felbermayr responded with a 1:40.059 to reclaim second, while Bruce improved again to third with a 1:40.173.
In the final minute of the session, the improvements continued. Billard briefly rose to second with a 1:39.839 before Bruce edged ahead with a 1:39.858 to take P2. Even so, both remained almost half a second adrift of Palmowski, who stayed comfortably at the top as the chequered flag fell. Felbermayr then improved to a 1:39.602 to close within two tenths of Palmowski, but she ultimately had to settle for second place.
Finally, Mercedes-backed Payton Westcott left her improvement until late in the session but rounded out the top five with a 1:39.948, demoting Larsen to sixth.
