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
The safety car and the medical car are lapping the track to inspect conditions, as work continues at Turn 6 to clear the standing water. Still no sign of running getting going yet.
The latest from trackside: "There's a nice little puddle at the Turn 2 apex, the kind that a passing bus would undoubtedly run through to splash nearby pedestrians. Expect the drivers to take the karting line whenever running gets going."
Rain and motorsport really isn't making for a good mix lately. A hugely delayed start to the Indy 500, numerous cancellations and revisions at the Isle of Man TT and now this. Boo.
Track officials are trying to drain the standing water, some equipped with brooms and others in trucks with water hoovers (probably not the technical name) to suck up the big puddles. The bad news is that predicted rain looks like it is about to arrive.
FP1 is officially under way! But no running until the pit exit is opened.
It might be very wet and has puddles all over it, but the track has been completely resurfaced since last year. Not that it'll mean much until we actually get track running.
The latest from the FIA: "We will start the session on time, but pit exit will remain closed as we work on clearing any standing water on the track."
We're not saying FP1 in Canada is cursed, but 12 months ago it effectively lasted five minutes and was then cancelled due to a CCTV issue at the track. That was one of the weirder reasons for a session being canned.
The weather forecast predicts rain to return five minutes into FP1, which will start on time, but the pit exit will remain closed. So, the session will start, but with no running allowed.
Back to today's action. Esteban Ocon, who was put on the naughty step by Alpine for crashing into Gasly on the opening lap in Monaco, will hand over the keys to his car to Jack Doohan for this session as part of its FP1 rookie obligations. But the team and Ocon say the two aren't connected.
While there's been more movements in the F1 driver market, following the news that Sergio Perez will stay at Red Bull for two more years while Esteban Ocon will leave Alpine at the end of 2025. Here's the latest.
Away from the weather watching, here's the latest from the paddock. On Thursday, the 2026 regulations were revealed and the drivers had their say. George Russell led calls for the FIA to look into safety improvements over the "crazy" top speeds predicted for the next generation of F1 cars. Full story here.
But it has stopped raining, for now, as the dark cloud has passed by after depositing its guts on the circuit. The weather forecast is mixed at best for the entire race weekend so wet running will be of value with an eye on Saturday and Sunday.
Small issue though: it is raining. A lot. Like, full fat rain and hailstones type of wet. So there might not be much running in this session.
Hello one and all! Two weeks on from a memorable Monaco GP - for the right and the wrong reasons - it is go time again for F1 in Canada. First practice is due to start in 25 minutes.
By: Autosport Staff
