FP1 Canada result: Norris fastest in completely rained-out training

The first free training in Canada is already over. At the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in the city of Montreal, the fastest time was just recorded by Lando Norris. Behind him, Carlos Sainz’s name was in second place on the times list. The top three was completed by Charles Leclerc.

Just before the free practice, the sky in Montreal turned into a kind of mega shower. It was raining heavily, and there were even hailstones falling from the sky. However, just before practice it became dry, but the track was far from dry.

In some parts of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve there were pools where an entire family of ducks could easily swim. The race management decided to start training, but the pit lane remained closed. This meant that the clock started running, but the drivers were not allowed to go onto the track. Some drivers were already in their cockpits, but they stayed there.

Green, red

After just over twenty minutes, the race control gave the green light. The drivers were allowed to take to the track, and Lewis Hamilton did not hesitate for a moment. At inters he turned onto the track, waved to the fans and looked for grip. Another group of cars soon followed, but they were driving on rain tires.

Valtteri Bottas quickly announced that the rain tires were quite unnecessary. He switched to inters, and the track started to fill up. Max Verstappen also came onto the circuit, and the fans finally got to see a bit of action. Despite the many puddles, Oscar Piastri stated that it would dry up quickly. However, that didn’t mean it was a piece of cake. Guanyu Zhou drove through a puddle, hydroplaned and hit the wall. This caused the session to stop for a short time.

Soft tires

When the light turned green again, many drivers took to the track again. Jack Doohan also made his rounds. The Australian was allowed to take a seat in Esteban Ocon’s car at Alpine. Not many fast times were set, but the drivers did need these laps. After all, it is expected that it will continue to rain a little during the rest of the weekend.

Yet the track had dried out so much at the end that the teams dared to use the soft tires. Many drivers came out on these slicks, which resulted in fast times. There was a dry line, and that made for a lot of spectacle. A number of drivers took a trip through the grass, Max Verstappen discovered that there was still some water next to the track. Valtteri Bottas provided some spectacle with a perfect pirouette.

Gilles Villeneuve – June 7, 2024

2024-06-07 18:33:56
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