The drivers of the Mercedes team dominated the first free practice sessions of the Canadian Grand Prix on Friday, marked by numerous interruptions.
Britons Lewis Hamilton (1 min 13.718 s) and George Russell (1 min 13.745 s) were the fastest on the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit, driving their Silver Arrows, during the second free practice session in view of Sunday’s race.
They were followed by Ferrari drivers, Carlos Sainz (3e) and Charles Leclerc (5e), Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) occupying 4e place and the two Red Bull drivers, Max Verstappen (6e) and Sergio Perez (8e), following not far behind. The other Aston Martin driver and son of the country, Lance Stroll, arrives just after (9e).
The breakdown on the Île Notre-Dame track of an Alpine team car, immediately followed by problems with the security camera system of the 4.4 km long circuit, had ruined the first free practice session of the day. Extended by 30 minutes to make up for the lost time, the second session took place under heavy skies and was marked by numerous interruptions due to all kinds of incidents and mechanical problems, before ending in a deluge. .
The teams will have another practice session early Saturday afternoon to find the right settings for qualifying, which is to be held from 4 p.m. The race will be launched on Sunday afternoon and will consist of just over 305 km in 70 laps.
Imperial since the start of the year, reigning world champion Max Verstappen could win the 40e victory of his young career. The Montreal stopover could also mark a new stage in the history of his team, Red Bull, which would thus cross the milestone of 100 victories since its first race in 1997.
Aston Martin will do everything it can to postpone this moment. On the back of an equally excellent and surprising start to the season, the team of Montreal driver Lance Stroll and Spaniard Fernando Alonso has landed on the Île Notre-Dame circuit with innovations on its cars which, she, will allow him to regain the ascendancy in the race for second place, behind the Red Bull. These innovations would concern in particular the underside of the cars, which, contrary to what one might think, generates up to 60% of the aerodynamic support of F1 cars.
Weather alert
Formula 1 drivers often say that the Canadian Grand Prix is one of their favorites of the season, which is expected to have 22 this year, after the one in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, was canceled due to floods. In addition to the festive atmosphere and the proximity of the city, they like this circuit, known as semi-urban, with its series of straight lines which they cover at breakneck speed before braking suddenly to negotiate tight turns where you have to dare to attack. the curbs, but be wary of the low walls and the lawn that border the track closely.
It is not uncommon for incidents on the track and bad weather to upset the progress of the race in Montreal. It could happen again this weekend, as rain is expected.
Three-way fight behind the Red Bulls
Picking up where they left off last year, the Red Bull drivers have soared over the championship since the start of the season, with seven wins in seven races, five of which were won by reigning world champion Max Verstappen. The 25-year-old Dutchman and already double world champion easily leads the drivers’ championship with 170 points, already far ahead of his closest pursuer, his teammate, the Mexican Sergio Pérez (117 points).
It is behind the Red Bull that the fight is interesting, at least three teams can claim the title of best of the others.
Eternal rival of Red Bull, the Mercedes team had a slow start, but is doing much better since turning its back on an aerodynamic concept that has served it poorly since last year. Its two drivers, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, confirmed this strong comeback at the Barcelona Grand Prix two weeks ago, climbing to the second and third steps of the podium respectively.
Big surprise at the start of the season, the Aston Martin team, of Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll, jumped from seventh place out of ten teams, in 2022, to the status of a serious candidate for second place. His new recruit, the 41-year-old driver and double world champion Fernando Alonso, is currently third in the drivers’ championship (99 points), thanks to five podiums in seven races since the start of the season. His young teammate, Lance Stroll, was less fortunate, notably being the victim, even before the curtain went up, of a nasty fall from his bike from which he had not fully recovered before the penultimate Grand Prix. He is currently eighth in the riders’ standings with 35 points.
Fourth in the constructors’ championship, Ferrari is fast in qualifying, but has struggled so far to keep up the pace for an entire race. Tenth in Barcelona, the Monegasque Charles Leclerc warned the many supporters of the red cars on Thursday that they should not have too many expectations this weekend. “We arrive with no real improvement on the car. Also, I don’t expect any miracles. We will have to make the most of what we already have. »