Max Verstappen has started the race weekend in Canada well. The world championship frontrunner was two and a half tenths faster than Carlos Sainz who finished in second place, while Fernando Alonso also finished in the top three.

Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez remarkably failed to come close to Verstappen's time. While Leclerc finished in fifth place, the Mexican managed to be a fraction faster, securing fourth place.

Mercedes again had problems keeping up with the top teams. With George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, the German team hoped to make a step forward in Canada, but with sixth and eighth place finishes, they could not be satisfied. Lance Stroll finished between the two drivers.

Verstappen, Sainz and Alonso lead the way after first practice #CanadianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/6RuqbsmBjZ

— Formula 1 (@F1) June 17, 2022

Haas and Alfa Romeo with slowest times

At the back of the field were the usual teams. Kevin Magnussen in his Haas car was the slowest of the practice session, while Nicholas Latifi finished just ahead of him. Valtteri Bottas, Guanyu Zhou and Mick Schumacher were also among the final five drivers.