Next incoming period of rain not expected to be quite as heavy as the prior one (!), but still moderate (level 2/3). FIA forecasters have advised teams that the rain may then continue throughout the session, once it arrives from about 13:35pm local.

Let's... stay in the garage for a little bit longer.

The session has started but the pit exit will remain closed.

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With no driver on the podium in Monaco and Ferrari celebrating a win and third place, Red Bull's advantage at the top of the constructors' championship is now only 24 points.

Third-placed McLaren are 88 points clear of Mercedes in fourth and Yuki Tsunoda's continued points scoring for RB in sixth means they are 20 points behind fifth-placed Aston Martin.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

The gap at the top of the drivers' championship has been cut to 31 points between leader Max Verstappen and second-placed Charles Leclerc, following the Ferrari man's emotional triumph in Monaco last time out.

Sergio Perez's opening-lap misfortune means the Red Bull driver slips down the pecking order and into fifth place, one point behind Carlos Sainz, who finished third on the podium in Monte Carlo.

Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly both finished in the top 10 two weeks ago, with the pair picking up their first points of the season. Williams' Albon secured two points and Gasly, despite his tangle with Esteban Ocon, collected one point.

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The doors are beginning to close quickly now for those drivers without a seat for the 2025 season.

On Tuesday, Red Bull announced Sergio Perez has signed a new two-year contract to stay with the team until the end of the 2026.

Boss Christian Horner said "continuity and stability are important for the team" and both Perez and Max Verstappen "are a successful and robust partnership".

Speaking on Thursday, Perez said it was "really nice" to get his contract situation out of the way, so the team can "focus on pure performance". He also added he did have other options on the table, but Red Bull was always his "plan A, B and C" and the team he wants to finish his career with.

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Reserve driver Jack Doohan will drive Esteban Ocon's Alpine in first practice at the Canadian Grand Prix on Friday.

A spokesperson said this was not part of any disciplinary action against Ocon after his crash with team-mate Pierre Gasly in the Monaco Grand Prix.

This wasn't confirmed pre-Monaco but was being planned. Teams have to do two 'young driver' first practice sessions during the season; Ocon's five-place grid penalty (for causing Gasly crash) meant his weekend compromised anyway.

Alpine hope car will be more competitive later in the year and other FP1s more important.

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The early build-up to this weekend's race was still heavily focused on the aftermath of the Esteban Ocon first-lap drama of Monaco, with questions lingering as to whether the 27-year-old would face the "consequences" Alpine team boss Bruno Famin mentioned for causing the collision.

Ocon, who has been handed a five-place grid penalty for Sunday's grand prix, took to X to confirm he would be driving in Canada but also highlighted the 'hurtful' abuse he had received since the crash.

On Monday, the news dropped that Alpine and Ocon had decided to part ways at the end of the 2024 season after five years with the team, a decision both parties said was “agreed together”.

While Ocon will be back behind the wheel in second practice, for this first hour of running he has to make do with a seat in the garage...

Current rain slowly easing and expected to stop in about 20 mins (12:15pm local). However, out to the SW, further showers are developing and so there's a risk of further downpours into the FP1 scheduled window...

Image source, .

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The weather conditions could be unsettled for the three days of racing at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve - starting with today's practice sessions.

Montreal has been hit with torrential rain and strong gusty winds, with the fans in the grandstands and the paddock taking cover from a massive hailstorm earlier on.

Grim is the current forecast.

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Hello, folks. F1 leaves Europe behind for a weekend and heads across to North America for the Canadian Grand Prix.

We left off in Monaco with Charles Leclerc finally celebrating a maiden home victory, Sergio Perez's Red Bull left in a crumpled mess following a collision with the Haas of Kevin Magnussen and Esteban Ocon in the Alpine doghouse after a crash with his team-mate Pierre Gasly.

First practice in Montreal, if the weather clears up, gets under way at 18:30 BST.

Second practice goes green at 22:00 BST.

Commentary of first practice is online-only via the audio icon the top of this page, while second practice will also be available on BBC 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds.

For today's coverage, we welcome Rosanna Tennant, Harry Benjamin, F1 journalist Bec Clancy and BBC F1 correspondent Andrew Benson.

Image source, Getty Images

Formula 1 has arrived in Canada for round nine of the 2024 campaign but an unwelcome guest has also made the trip to Montreal: rain.

The skies are dark and the conditions are wet, wet, wet for first practice.