F1 Academy | FP | Canadian GP | Palmowski goes fastest

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Round 4 of the 2025 F1 Academy season got underway with Free Practice (FP) at the Canadian GP in Montreal. View the full report and results below.

After a few weeks of rest and reset, F1 Academy returned as the drivers headed to Montreal for the Canadian GP. The event marked the championship’s debut at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, presenting a level playing field as none of the teams or drivers had previously raced at the track. With just one free practice session over the weekend, teams had only 40 minutes to gather data and test strategies.

The title fight remained close, with Ferrari Driver Academy’s Maya Weug leading the standings on 64 points—just one ahead of Doriane Pin. Chloe Chambers, only 9 points behind Weug, was also firmly in the hunt and set to start Race 1 from pole position. For rookie Nicole Havrda, the weekend marked a homecoming, as she aimed to impress in front of her home crowd.

Green lights at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve

The single FP session of the 2025 F1 Academy Canadian GP weekend got underway at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, with drivers keen to maximise the limited track time on the high-speed, unfamiliar circuit.

Nicole Havrda, driving on home soil, topped the timesheets in the first five minutes with a 1:52.743 and the fastest time in Sector 3. After a difficult start to her season, she looked to build momentum for the rest of the weekend.

Alba Larsen soon bettered her with a 1:42.897. Although Havrda improved, she was still 1.8 seconds off Larsen’s pace and slotted into P2.

30 minutes to go

Larsen continued to lead as more drivers joined the track. Ella Lloyd braked late into Turn 13 but had already gone fastest with a time of 1:42.277—0.9 seconds quicker than Larsen.

Chambers responded strongly, setting a 1:41.513 to go quickest and boost her championship hopes. With 26 minutes remaining, only seven drivers had posted lap times.

Palmowski then took the top spot, going fastest in Sectors 1 and 2, but Chambers quickly reclaimed P1.

20 minutes left

With 20 minutes left, 17 of the 18 drivers had set a time. The only driver yet to do so was championship leader Maya Weug, who faced technical issues. After a brief outing, she pitted again for adjustments. MP Motorsport later called her back in as the mechanics investigated the problem further.

Meanwhile, Pin, her closest title rival, sat in P5—0.7 seconds off Palmowski’s benchmark.

Palmowski continued to improve, setting a new fastest lap of 1:39.315. Chambers responded once again with a 1:39.297. The pair continued to swap positions at the top of the leaderboard.

A yellow flag briefly halted proceedings when Larsen locked up and spun off track. She narrowly avoided the barrier and rejoined. At the time, she held P3, just 0.5 seconds behind Chambers.

Final 10 minutes

Another yellow flag came out in Sector 1 when a cooling fan was spotted on track, prompting a red flag with just under seven minutes remaining. The fan had detached from Pin’s car as she exited the pit lane, unaware it was still attached. The stewards confirmed they would investigate the incident—an unwelcome development for both Pin and PREMA Racing.

Emma Felbermayr, who exited the pit lane for a practice start after the red flag had been called, was also summoned by the stewards.

With seven minutes remaining, the session resumed and Weug was sent out. She managed a slow installation lap, focusing on familiarising herself with the track before returning to the pits.

Chambers found more pace, setting purple sectors in Sectors 2 and 3 with a time of 1:38.972. Palmowski wasn’t far behind, just 0.2 seconds slower, having set the fastest time in Sector 1.

Chequered flag is out

As the chequered flag waved, Palmowski ended the session fastest with a 1:38.898. Chambers remained in second, unable to improve on her time. Larsen rounded out the top three, finishing 0.6 seconds behind Palmowski.

Weug concluded the session without setting a lap time, having spent most of it in the pits. She would now look to regroup with her team ahead of qualifying. Pin, meanwhile, finished in P8 on the unfamiliar circuit.

Havrda ended the session in P14 during her home debut and prepared to work with her team to extract more pace ahead of qualifying. Wildcard entrant Mathilda Paatz, making her F1 Academy debut in Gatorade colours, finished P16.

Despite several drivers using escape roads while pushing the limits, the session unfolded with minimal incidents as the grid grew familiar with the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.