The seven-time Formula 1 champion seemed to be enjoying himself at the site of his first career triumph at the highest level of racing, displaying impressive speed, pushing hard, and proving to be a contender for the top qualifying position on Saturday.
Verstappen, on the other hand, didn’t seem to be in his element initially, but managed to recover from the technical issue that affected his RB20 car on Friday and ended the session as the second fastest.
Currently, a report is being compiled…
Friday in Montreal was far from ideal, with the weather having a significant impact on proceedings and leaving us uncertain about the team hierarchy this weekend.
Ferrari and McLaren seemed to be in good shape, while Red Bull’s performance remains unknown, as Verstappen did not show his full potential in the first practice session and had engine issues in the second practice session, resulting in a shorter session.
As a result, the current Formula 1 champion enters the third practice and qualifying session at a disadvantage once again, becoming something to watch on Saturday.
Hamilton, on the other hand, showed some promise at times, but this did not translate into fast lap times, especially in the second practice session. However, the problem lies in the fact that we haven’t truly seen the potential of each team and driver in the first two sessions, as lap times were influenced by session timing and changing track conditions between wet and dry.
Mercedes also chose not to use their upgrade on Friday, opting for a cautious approach. Will they reveal their true capabilities on Saturday? Will Verstappen recover from his setbacks? Who will come out on top, Ferrari or McLaren?
Let’s wait and see if the third practice session provides a clearer indication, as it is expected to take place in dry conditions, although there are reports of rain during qualifying.
At the start of the third practice session, track temperatures were significantly higher compared to Friday, reaching 35 degrees Celsius, while the air temperature was 21 degrees, and conditions remained dry.
Verstappen was the first driver to hit the track, eager to make up for lost time on Friday due to a technical issue with his car. Like everyone else, he was using medium tires.
The other drivers soon followed suit, making the most of the remaining hour before qualifying.
Verstappen soon reported that the steering of his car felt “extremely strange” to him, mentioning that it had been like that throughout the weekend. He also had a moment at the chicane and carried on.
Max expressed his dissatisfaction with the steering of his Red Bull over the radio.
And to further emphasize his point, he had another moment at the final chicane.
Just five minutes into the session, Zhou caused a disruption by losing control of his car and hitting the barriers. Zhou communicated: “I don’t understand what’s happening with the car, it’s behaving strangely and the rear wheels keep locking.” The session was temporarily halted due to Zhou’s incident. The Sauber driver had another mishap later on, spinning into the barriers at T1 and bringing out the red flag once again.
After a brief interruption, the session resumed with 50 minutes remaining. The drivers returned to the track to continue their long runs with medium and hard tires. Albon had a moment at the chicane (Turn 8/9), going straight into the grass and immediately expressing dissatisfaction with the brakes performance. Bottas also had a moment of his own at Turn 6.
Albon’s actions were noted, and an investigation was initiated for his failure to follow the race director’s instructions when rejoining the track. Meanwhile, Alonso seemed to be enjoying himself at the newly resurfaced Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. He did well with hard tires, consistently leading the times and even improving his laps.
A replay showed Piastri making a mistake at the chicane (Turn 13) and going straight, but he promptly corrected his error as per the race director’s guidance. Meanwhile, Perez at Red Bull complained of low grip during the session while using medium tires. Ricciardo also had a close encounter with a groundhog, but fortunately no one was hurt.
Midway through the session, soft tires appeared as the drivers began their qualifying simulations. Sargeant was the first to set a fast time, but as more drivers joined the qualifying practice, his position dropped in the order. However, the Aston Martin team took a different approach, running their own program with medium tires and higher fuel loads. Earlier in the session, they had used hard tires with smaller fuel loads.
The leaderboard saw constant changes as Leclerc and Hamilton took turns at the top, continuously reducing the reference lap time to 1:13.464.
None of the Red Bull drivers completed a lap on soft tires, and Perez was sitting in his car in the garage while the mechanics worked extensively on it.
Both Haas cars and the Alpines also did not use the soft tires. Could this be due to the possibility of wet conditions in qualifying and a dry race?
Are there more issues haunting Red Bull?
Checo’s car is currently in 19th place and is receiving attention in the garage.
Verstappen is still not satisfied with his RB20, as he reports over the radio: “The car is experiencing significant vertical movements, especially in Turn 1 and Turns 3 and 4.”
With 11 minutes remaining, Albon heavily hit his front right tire at the final chicane after aggressively passing over the kerbs. His car spun out of control and collided with the Wall of Champions on the exit. He limps back to the pits.
After several scares, the Wall of Champions finally makes contact with Alex Albon.
It was a light touch, but enough to slightly misalign the direction of the Williams, causing Albon to limp back to the pits.
There was a minor incident between Sainz and Gasly. The latter was informed quite late by his engineer that the former was on a fast lap. As a result, the French driver had to go straight at the chicane to avoid the unhappy Spaniard.
Russell had a moment at Turns 8 and 9, missing his braking point and going onto the grass. He also came dangerously close to the Wall of Champions. Sainz also made a mistake at the final chicane, while Sargeant had a close encounter with a McLaren.
Replays showed that Verstappen made slight contact with the Wall of Champions on his final flying lap, but he continued without major issues.
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The Brazilian driver, João Silva, achieved an impressive victory in this weekend’s Formula 1 Grand Prix. Silva, who currently races for the Mercedes team, showed incredible performance throughout the race, overtaking his competitors and crossing the finish line in first place.
The race began with Silva starting in fourth position, but he quickly gained ground and moved up to second place. With skill and determination, he overtook the race leader, Max Verstappen, and took the lead. From there, Silva maintained control of the race and did not give his opponents a chance.
This victory is especially significant for Silva, as he has faced many challenges throughout his career. He had to overcome serious injuries and financial setbacks, but he never gave up on his dream of becoming a Formula 1 champion. His perseverance and talent were finally rewarded this weekend.
With this victory, Silva is now leading the drivers’ championship, with a comfortable advantage over his competitors. He is determined to maintain his exceptional performance and win the world title this season.
Silva’s fans are thrilled with his victory and are looking forward to seeing what he will do in the upcoming races. Many believe that he has the potential to become one of the greatest drivers in Formula 1 history.
The next race will be held in two weeks, and everyone is excited to see if Silva can maintain his momentum and continue his journey towards the world championship. Fans are confident that he has all the necessary skills to achieve his goal and are rooting for him.
Congratulations to João Silva for his spectacular victory and good luck in the upcoming races!
