F1 Canadian GP Live Commentary and Updates - FP1 & FP2
Friday's action from the ninth round of the 2024 Formula 1 season.
F1 returns to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve where all eyes will be on Red Bull and how the RB20 is able to ride the kerbs after Max Verstappen conceded that finding a fix would 'take time'.
With McLaren and Ferrari noticeably closing the points gap in both the drivers' and constructors' championships, the Montreal race presents a chance to add further pressure to current leaders, Red Bull.
FP1 starts at 18:30 BST (13:30 local time) followed by FP2 at 22:00 BST (17:00 local time).
Live Text
Curious that the four race winners so far this year all headed out first. It has left most others coming out a few minutes later, meaning they'll only get three or four laps in.
Leclerc slides through Turn 1, hitting the wet patches, and skates over the grass to wreck his run. It is a fine line between hero and zero in these conditions.
The chequered flag is out, with everyone bar Zhou on track to at least get a practice start completed in these conditions. Leclerc looks set to top the session from Hamilton.
Or not, as Norris posts a 1m24.435s to steal the show, as Sainz goes second to push Leclerc to third.
Ricciardo, Bottas and Verstappen have all got caught out on the damp patches in the braking zone for Turn 8, with the Sauber driver having the biggest off with a spin through the wet grass. Fortunately he stops shortly before hitting the wall.
The TV replays reveal Verstappen, Sargeant and Stroll also got caught out at Turn 8 - more drivers going off than staying on track! But thankfully no major harm done for any of them.
So, Norris takes the top spot glory from both Ferraris. Given the changeable conditions, it is hard to pick out too much from that session in terms of pace or who is on form. FP2 will hopefully provide a clearer picture later on.
You've got to feel for Doohan, as his FP1 outing results in three laps: an installation lap in the wet, an out-lap and an in-lap. Not a lot would've been learned from that.
Here's the full story on an eventful FP1 topped by Norris.
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
With that, we'll take a short breather ahead of FP2 which starts at 10pm BST. See you soon!
We're back! Did you miss us? FP2 is coming up in 15 minutes and everyone is looking to the sky with good reason...
F1 reporter Filip Cleeren has become a part-time weatherman for us in Montreal: "Light drizzle right now, 80% chance of rain in FP2 and still heavy gusts of wind."
If you missed the opening session, firstly, where were you?! Best catch up on all the action here.
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Off the track there is another storm brewing over the 2026 regulations that were published on Thursday. F1 team bosses are due to meet this weekend to discuss concerns about the incoming rules. Full story here.
In the team boss press conference earlier, McLaren’s Andrea Stella summed up the angst: “The cars are not fast enough in the corners and too fast on the straights. These two aspects needs to be rebalanced.”
But enough about the 2026 rules, they are 18 months away. Here and now the focus is on Canadian GP FP2, as the rain starts to drift back in.
Verstappen heads an F1 car train at the end of pitlane waiting for the start of the session. Canadian rush hour trying to avoid the rain.
"It's coming down much harder now," Russell reports, as the green light at pit exit comes on. Off we go.
Eight drivers are on track early, all on softs apart from Sainz who is on mediums - but not for long as he says "it is too wet for the medium".
Leclerc has nipped out on the intermediate tyres but has been noted for "tyre usage" - and will be investigated after the session. Has Ferrari put on a mixed set of tyres?
Only Hamilton and Gasly are on the track, with the Mercedes driver posting a 1m34.810s to go top. The track has been declared wet... so much for that dry running opportunity.
The Leclerc tyre investigation might be about him going out on the track on intermediate tyres before the track was declared wet - which isn't allowed. It has just been declared wet, meaning drivers can go out on whatever tyre compound they wish.
In typical F1 scenes, Gasly goes quickest on the slick soft tyres on a wet track. His 1m29.007s puts him 5.8s quicker than Hamilton's earlier effort.
Gasly goes quicker again with a 1m24.389s - just the 10s faster than anyone else. That prompts action from the other teams, as most go out on slicks but Zhou is out on intermediates.
Zhou dives back into the pits as he reports it is too dry for inters. This is turning into an odd session, a wet track only suitable for dry tyres.
Gasly remains on top with a 1m20.789s - one-tenth up on nearest challenger Russell. But every driver is trying to gauge conditions to avoid overdoing it in the slippery parts of the track and wrecking their sessions.
Alonso posts a 1m20.599s to go top from Ricciardo on a 1m20.704s just as the rain returns.
Magnussen catches a slide into Turn 8 and then practically everyone runs on at the hairpin as the rain gets heavier. DRS has been disabled and low grip conditions have been declared.
That hasn't stopped the lap time improvements, as Alonso returns to the top with a 1m18.662s from Stroll by 1.1s.
Hamilton has to check up going into the final chicane for a slow-moving Sainz, but a replay shows the Ferrari trying to avoid a groundhog! That'd be an interesting excuse if it got to the stewards, but thankfully the little furry creature escapes unscathed.
Albon asks for too much power out of the final corner and just about avoids sending his Williams into a spin. At the front, Alonso improves again with a 1m17.835s.
Verstappen pits with a smoking Red Bull and he has to take care getting out of the car, with the mechanics avoiding touching the car in case there is an electrical issue.
On the track, DRS has been re-enabled and normal grip conditions are declared again. Alonso's leading effort is a 1m15.810s which is seven-tenths quicker than Leclerc.
For the second time in this session Hamilton gets baulked by a Ferrari driver going into the final chicane. Does Ferrari just need to make bigger mirrors?
Verstappen is still stuck in the garage as Red Bull gets to work trying to fix the issue with his F1 car. The Dutch driver has completed just four laps in this session and is losing out on the long run data.
The wind and rain has returned once again and that has sent everyone back into the pits.
While Verstappen isn't missing much due to the rain, it looks like his session is over. He's left the Red Bull garage and the car is up on the jacks with investigations ongoing on his engine.
By: Autosport Staff
