The 2024 Canadian Grand Prix delivered yet another surprising twist in the Formula 1 season.
Can Russell and Mercedes pull off another unexpected performance in Montreal on Saturday?
During two practice sessions on Friday, Russell and his teammate Kimi Antonelli showed promising results. Russell secured fourth place in FP1 and performed well in FP2, while Antonelli, despite finishing 13th in FP1, bounced back to achieve a top-three result in FP2.
Russell mentioned that the FP2 result might have been a bit misleading, but he’s optimistic that the cooler conditions and smoother track in Montreal could play to their advantage.
Yet, the McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are always in the mix. As the leaders in the constructors’ championship, they brought several upgrades to Montreal and adjusted their strategies well after FP1, with Norris placing second and Piastri sixth in FP2.
Still, Norris expressed dissatisfaction after the two sessions, calling it the “worst” Friday of the season for McLaren.
Max Verstappen topped the charts in FP1, but he must avoid accumulating penalty points in the next two races to steer clear of a race ban.
Qualifying starts at 4 PM Eastern, and you can catch all the coverage live. Just remember, all updates will be in Eastern time.
The qualifying results for the Canadian Grand Prix will be updated throughout the session.
Notes from FP3
Saturday’s three-hour practice session was quite eventful. Lando Norris led the timing sheets followed closely by Charles Leclerc, who returned to the SF-25 after missing FP2.
However, incidents involving both Oscar Piastri and Nico Hülkenberg at the last chicane led to a red flag as Piastri’s car impacted the “Champion Wall,” damaging his tire. Hülkenberg’s spin in that area caused another red flag.
Lewis Hamilton finished fourth in the session, and there’s speculation that Ferrari has made updates to the power units in both Hamilton’s and Leclerc’s cars.
