Canadian Grand Prix – Free Practice 1: Verstappen leads ahead of Sainz

Formula 1 was finally returning to the iconic Canadian circuit. The track, being rarely used, was very dirty, causing the drivers to race on a very dirty track. Although the conditions were slightly better than the previous day, the strong wind and gusts certainly did not help the drivers perform. It was a session that allowed them to get some reference points.

A first 45-minute session to clean the track.

A week after his good race in Baku, Esteban Ocon experienced his first technical issue after fifteen minutes of the session. His right front brake system was smoking. It turned out to be a plastic bag that had lodged itself in the brake duct, completely blocking the air intake and thus the cooling of the system. At the beginning of the session, drivers were doing a few laps to familiarize themselves with the track. It should be noted that the grip on this circuit will constantly evolve, which is even more important as the Gilles Villeneuve track is known to be fast and narrow, with a mix of long straights and significant braking zones. It is a rather demanding circuit, lined with walls and interrupted by chicanes.

was nevertheless similar to what we are used to seeing since the beginning of the season. Red Bull and Ferrari were comfortably leading the timesheets and easily occupying the top four positions. Establishing reference points

A last quarter of an hour to increase raw performance.

For this end of the session, most teams made the choice to run their single-seaters with little fuel in order to better define the settings that will be used in qualifying. They will also give a good indication of how the car performs in long stints.

The drivers alternated between fast laps and battery recharge laps, allowing for cooling of the car’s components. This yo-yo effect created some disturbances between the drivers on a fast lap and those recharging their batteries.

At the end of this session, Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen’s Red Bulls set the fastest times, ahead of Carlos Sainz and a surprisingly impressive Lance Stroll on his home turf.

If the Canadian gave some confidence to his team for the next session, Charles Leclerc preferred to do long stints on medium tires to best prepare for his race. Nonetheless, he still achieved the fourth fastest time.

The pleasant surprise came from Aston Martin with Stroll in 3rd place and Vettel in 5th place, the recent developments seem to bring a real improvement. It is worth noting the impressive position of Fernando Alonso who held the third place until the end of the session. Even though he finishes 6th, the Spaniard continues to deliver good performances.

The results chart