Norris Leads Rain-Affected First Practice Session in Montréal

In a dramatic opening practice session for the 2024 FIA Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix, McLaren’s Lando Norris emerged fastest in a session disrupted by inclement weather.

Session Overview:

• Delayed Start: The practice session faced a delayed start due to a heavy hailstorm that necessitated track workers clearing standing water from the newly resurfaced track. Despite beginning on time, the pit lane remained closed for the first 21 minutes.
• Initial Runs: When the pit lane finally opened, Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes was the first to venture out on Intermediate Pirelli tires, followed by Valtteri Bottas from Sauber on full Wet tires. Bottas quickly switched to Intermediates as the track conditions improved.
• Early Incident: The session was soon halted as Zhou Guanyu, Bottas’ teammate, aquaplaned off at Turn 5 and hit the wall, causing a red flag due to damage to his car’s rear left corner.
• Resumption and Progress: Once the session resumed, light rain briefly returned but then subsided, allowing a dry line to form on the track. Yuki Tsunoda of Red Bull initially set the pace, followed by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc.

Key Performances:

• Norris’ P1 Lap: In the closing minutes, with the track drying rapidly, Leclerc on Soft tires set a fast lap, but Norris managed to outpace him with a time of 1:24.435, securing the top spot.
• Competitive Field: Carlos Sainz took second place, closely followed by his Ferrari teammate Leclerc in third. Hamilton secured fourth place, with championship leader Max Verstappen of Red Bull in fifth.
• Notable Entries: Oscar Piastri in the second McLaren came sixth, Pierre Gasly of Alpine took seventh, and Bottas was eighth. Sergio Pérez, having just signed a two-year extension with Red Bull, finished ninth, and Mercedes’ George Russell completed the top ten.

2024 Canadian Grand Prix – Free Practice 1:

1. Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:24.435 8 185.937
2. Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:24.763 0.328 11 185.217
3. Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:25.306 0.871 11 184.038
4. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:25.970 1.535 11 182.617
5. Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:26.502 2.067 10 181.494
6. Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:26.754 2.319 7 180.966
7. Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 1:27.584 3.149 8 179.251
8. Valtteri Bottas Sauber/Ferrari 1:27.670 3.235 11 179.076
9. Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:28.058 3.623 10 178.287
10. George Russell Mercedes 1:28.541 4.106 9 177.314
11. Daniel Ricciardo RB/Honda RBPT 1:28.582 4.147 9 177.232
12. Yuki Tsunoda RB/Honda RBPT 1:28.723 4.288 9 176.950
13. Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 1:29.052 4.617 8 176.296
14. Nico Hülkenberg Haas/Ferrari 1:32.826 8.391 5 169.129
15. Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:33.411 8.976 4 168.070
16. Logan Sargeant Williams/Mercedes 1:36.586 12.151 5 162.545
17. Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:40.530 16.095 4 156.168
18. Zhou Guanyu Sauber/Ferrari – 4
19. Jack Doohan Alpine/Renault – 3
20. Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes – 4

The session highlighted the ever-changing conditions of Formula 1 racing, with weather playing a crucial role and drivers needing to adapt quickly to maintain competitive times.