McLaren’s Lando Norris.
McLaren’s Lando Norris set the pace in an eventful FP1 session at the Canadian Grand Prix around a drying Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Norris dominated the final burst of activity in FP1 on the soft tires, claiming the top spot ahead of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc in their Ferraris.
Lando Norris P1 after barmy weather hits Canadian GP
The weather forecast predicted unpredictable weather throughout the race weekend, and this proved to be accurate when hailstones showered the paddock before eventually clearing up just in time for the start of the session.
Despite ongoing efforts to remove the large amount of standing water on the track, Race Control confirmed that FP1 would begin as scheduled. However, the pit lane would remain inaccessible, forcing the drivers to stay in their garages.
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One-fourth of FP1 had elapsed, with only the Safety Car and Medical Car offering any on-track excitement. However, as Race Control announced that the pit lane would open in eight minutes, the rain started to drizzle once more. Unlike the previous downpour, it was not as intense at this point.
And it was Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time winner of the Canadian Grand Prix, who was first to tiptoe around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on a set of green-walled intermediate tyres, waving to the crowd as he did it and reporting back on the radio that “grip is very low”.
Valtteri Bottas, Hamilton’s ex-team mate, initially opted for full wet tires but quickly realized that intermediates were the better choice.
As the session reached its midway point, Jack Doohan from Alpine finally joined his team for his fifth FP1 session. The Australian driver is considered a top contender to take over Esteban Ocon’s position for the 2025 Formula 1 season.
However, right when the track drying process was gaining momentum, the session was interrupted by red flags due to Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu coming to a sudden stop. The Chinese racer experienced a sudden loss of control at Turn 5 and collided with the wall on his left.
After promptly removing the damaged Sauber, FP1 resumed with 23 minutes remaining on the clock. Zhou’s teammate Bottas currently held the fastest time of 1:33.215, but there was ample opportunity to improve both time and grip.
After clocking in at 1:27.485, Sainz took the lead, with his Ferrari teammate Leclerc trailing closely behind in P2, just 0.075s behind. As the drivers geared up for their last attempt, the question lingered: would anyone dare to opt for slick tires under the clear blue skies?
Leclerc’s decision to use the soft tyres sparked a trend, with Sainz and Red Bull’s Verstappen also opting for them.
After an intense series of push laps, Norris emerged as the leader with a time of 1:24.435, followed by Sainz and Leclerc in the top three spots, bringing the session to a close.
FP1 timings
1 Lando NORRIS McLaren 1:24.435
2 Carlos SAINZ Ferrari +0.328
3 Charles LECLERC Ferrari +0.871
4 Lewis HAMILTON Mercedes +1.535
5 Max VERSTAPPEN Red Bull Racing +2.067
6 Oscar PIASTRI McLaren +2.319
7 Pierre GASLY Alpine +3.149
8 Valtteri BOTTAS Kick Sauber +3.235
9 Sergio PEREZ Red Bull Racing +3.623
10 George RUSSELL Mercedes +4.106
11 Daniel RICCIARDO RB +4.147
12 Yuki TSUNODA RB +4.288
13 Kevin MAGNUSSEN Haas F1 Team +4.617
14 Nico HULKENBERG Haas F1 Team +8.391
15 Fernando ALONSO Aston Martin +8.976
16 Logan SARGEANT Williams +12.151
17 Lance STROLL Aston Martin +16.095
18 Guanyu ZHOU Kick Sauber
19 Jack DOOHAN Alpine
20 Alexander ALBON Williams
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