Canadian GP - Free Practice

---

AWS Canadian GP - Free Practice 

Free Practice 1

June 7, 2024

McLaren's Lando Norris clocked the fastest time in a rain-affected opening practice session for the Canadian Grand Prix, pushing Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz down the standings.

Following an early morning storm, Norris, who secured his maiden win this season in Miami,

capitalized on improving track conditions to set a quickest lap of 1:24.435 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Norris's performance prevented Ferrari from a strong start to the weekend, with Sainz finishing second and Leclerc in third.

Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, who won his first race in Montreal, was the fourth fastest for Mercedes, just ahead of Red Bull's points leader Max Verstappen.

Prior to practice, a severe storm swept through Montreal, soaking the circuit and hitting fans with hail.

The session began with a yellow flag as officials worked to clear standing water with mops and hoses while the rain persisted.

After a 25-minute delay, the pit lane reopened, allowing cars to venture onto the newly resurfaced track, with Hamilton being the first to set a time.

Just as the weather improved and the track began to dry, the session was halted by a red flag when Sauber's Zhou Guanyu lightly touched the wall, causing debris to spread across the circuit.

When the session resumed, drivers took advantage of the drying conditions and switched to slick tires, finishing the practice under clear skies.

Alpine's Australian reserve driver Jack Doohan participated in the first practice session in place of Esteban Ocon, who was informed earlier this week that his contract would not be renewed for next season.

However, Doohan, son of five-time 500cc motorcycle champion Mick and a potential candidate to replace Ocon, did not record a time.

Ocon will return to the car for the second practice session on Friday.

Free Practice 2

June 7, 2024

Aston Martin's two-time world champion Fernando Alonso posted the quickest lap in a rain-soaked practice session for the Canadian Grand Prix on Friday, with both sessions being conducted under severe weather alerts at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Alonso, who finished 15th in the rain-affected first session, capitalized on the early dry spell in the second session to clock a lap time of 1:15.810, nearly half a second faster than Mercedes' George Russell.

Russell commented, "It was difficult to take many learnings into the rest of the weekend as

each lap the conditions were changing," "First it was spitting, then it was drying, then it was raining again.

"The car was feeling good overall, but we will only learn about our position relative to others tomorrow."

Canadian driver Lance Stroll, a Montreal native whose father owns Aston Martin, brightened the gloomy day for local fans with a third-fastest lap, finishing ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who won the previous race in Monaco.

Reigning triple champion Max Verstappen, who dominated Montreal last year from pole position, had a challenging start this time. After posting the fifth-fastest time in the first session, the Dutchman completed only four laps in the second session before returning to the pits due to a suspected electrical issue.

Verstappen explained, "Yeah unfortunately [in] FP2 not many laps for me, there was a suspected electrical issue so they told me to box, and they're investigating now. I haven't been back in the garage yet, but I'm sure soon we'll figure out what it is."

Ferrari showed promising signs with Leclerc finishing third in the morning session, while his teammate Carlos Sainz was 13th in the afternoon.

Two teams that don’t usually feature prominently made unexpected appearances with RB’s Daniel Ricciardo securing fifth place and Haas’s Kevin Magnussen finishing ahead of others.

Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton was the seventh fastest for Mercedes.

McLaren’s Lando Norris, who led the first session, ended up at the bottom of the second practice results.

Both practice sessions were held under unpredictable weather conditions.

An hour before the first practice, a severe storm hit Ile-Notre Dame, soaking the track and bombarding spectators with hailstones, which led to a 20-minute delay as fans were evacuated from the stands.

The second practice began in dry conditions but with dark clouds looming, prompting drivers to quickly take to the track to complete laps on slick tires before the anticipated rain arrived.

Free Practice 3

June 8, 2024

Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time victor at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, leveraged his extensive experience to top the timesheets in the final practice session for the Canadian Grand Prix on Saturday.

Hamilton, who secured his first career win in Montreal in 2007, recorded a lap time of 1:12.549 on the island track during a hectic final practice session, following rain disruptions in the earlier sessions.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, the reigning triple world champion, finished second, trailing Hamilton by 0.374 seconds after only completing four laps in the previous session due to a smoke issue in his car.

Hamilton’s teammate George Russell placed third, signaling a positive session for Mercedes ahead of the upcoming qualifying for the Sunday race.

Local hero Lance Stroll from Aston Martin, whose father owns the team, delighted the home fans with a fourth-place finish, ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and RB’s Daniel Ricciardo.

After Friday's rain and hail caused interruptions, drivers faced dry but cloudy conditions for their final practice.

McLaren's Lando Norris, who led the first practice, ended up seventh on Saturday, while Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, who was quickest in the second practice, placed eighth, followed by Red Bull's Sergio Perez.

Zhou Guanyu caused a red flag for the second time in three practice sessions when his Sauber skidded into the barriers just five minutes into the final session.

Zhou, who is still negotiating his future for next season, also crashed early in the first practice, resulting in limited time for him to adapt to the updated track surface.

---