ALEX ALBON CRASHED into the barriers after hitting a groundhog in practice at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Williams confirmed that the 30-year-old was unable to avoid the local inhabitant as he rounded turn seven.

The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve sits in Parc Jean-Drapeau on Montreal’s Isle Notre Dame and groundhogs on track have become a regular feature during race weekends over the years.

Lewis Hamilton was “devastated” after hitting one during last year’s race.

Williams were left with a major repair job to do ahead of sprint qualifying later on Friday as Albon – a huge animal lover whose pets have their own Instagram account – headed back to the garage with over half the sole practice session remaining.

Mercedes unveiled their first major upgrade package of the season as the grid’s dominant team in 2026, having won each of the four races so far, bid to stretch their advantage to the rest of the field.

Kimi Antonelli (19) has turned the tables on his experienced team-mate George Russell by winning the last three races and arrives in Montreal with a 20-point advantage.

Russell enjoys this circuit, having won here last season and claimed pole in the last two years, raising the pressure for him to deliver this weekend.

But it was the Italian who was again top of the standings in the first running of the weekend, ending the session 0.142 seconds ahead of Russell.

The British driver suffered a spin late in the session, narrowly keeping it out of the barriers, as his 19-year-old team-mate landed the first blow.

Lewis Hamilton was over seven tenths off the pace in third, ahead of Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc.

McLaren have also brought the second half of their upgrades package to Montreal, introducing a new front wing as part of a raft of changes aimed at dragging Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri back into the championship picture.

Norris was only sixth, an eye-watering 1.397 seconds behind Antonelli.