On a day marked by sporadic rain, Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso set the fastest time during Friday’s practice sessions at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Before additional rain fell in Montreal, Alonso set his best time during the second practice, which put him 0.463 seconds ahead of George Russell of Mercedes in second place.
Rain also disrupted the first session, when Lando Norris of McLaren was fastest; hence, the day’s top lap speeds were essentially useless.
However, Max Verstappen, the leader of the championship, was clearly having issues.
After just four laps, the Red Bull driver, who had finished 18th fastest in the second session, pulled into a pit with smoke billowing from the rear of his vehicle.
Red Bull claimed that an issue with the energy recovery system had occurred in his vehicle.
It’s not ideal; Verstappen would have preferred to complete more laps. Therefore, I would not have preferred to proceed in P2.
However, it is more crucial to ascertain what transpired and how it will affect the upcoming weekend and the remainder of the year.
The day’s theme was rainy weather. The track is located on an artificial island in the St. Lawrence Seaway called Ile-Notre Dame. Earlier this season, a strong storm forced organizers to close the island before practice began.
The first session got underway on schedule, but while marshals worked to dry out the track, the pit lane was closed, preventing the cars from leaving the racetrack.
When it finally started, it gradually dried up enough that the drivers could use slick tires for the last five minutes of the race.
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz’s Ferraris were trailed by Norris by 0.328 seconds.
Alonso led the pack during the second practice, which began with a 15-minute or so dry spell on the track before the rain returned.
“A hard Friday for everyone,” stated the two-time winner. There are not a lot of laps in each practice.
“Neither in wet nor dry circumstances are there proper laps, but this may happen in qualifying and the race. Tomorrow, we have to be very focused.
Lance Stroll, the Spaniard’s teammate, was third fastest behind Alonso and Russell, followed by Leclerc, Daniel Ricciardo of RB, Kevin Magnussen of Haas, and Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes.
With seven victories, Hamilton and Michael Schumacher share the record for the most successful drivers in Montreal. Hamilton commented, “It felt wonderful.” I was so eager to get going every minute. This is a circuit where it’s all about building blocks; it’s about spending as much time in the car as possible and learning about the track’s conditions and the modifications made to the runoff areas and surface.
“The automobile had a powerful vibe. I had a great time with it.
“It’s an incredible circuit. Although this was a peculiar day, akin to a summer’s day in the UK, it is one of the best circuits. This morning was warm and sunny, followed by a downpour of large hailstones and then more rain.
“On either condition, I felt extremely powerful today. We won’t know until we get out there on Saturday, but I feel really secure out there.”
The lone driver to crash all day was Zhou Gunayu of Sauber, who fractured his front suspension in the first practice after losing control of his vehicle entering Turn Five.
When Leclerc successfully executed a 360-degree spin during the second practice, the spectators at the hairpin cheered him on.
