Canadian GP: Max Verstappen fastest in First Practice as Charles Leclerc crashes

Max Verstappen secured the top spot in a somewhat unusual first practice session at the Canadian Grand Prix. McLaren, in contrast, appeared to use the session primarily for experimental work, leading to uncharacteristic lap times.

Verstappen`s quickest lap was 1:13.193, placing him ahead of the Williams pairing of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz. The session was interrupted early by a crash involving Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, which significantly limited his track time to less than 15 minutes.

McLaren has been a dominant force throughout the opening nine rounds of the season, consistently ranking near the top. However, in this session, championship contender Oscar Piastri was only 14th, while his teammate Lando Norris finished seventh, a rare sight for the team.

McLaren, currently leading the Constructors` Championship, introduced several new components for the Canada weekend, including a new front wing, front suspension, and rear wing. Their experimental approach was evident, with the team utilising aero rakes and flow-vis paint to compare the performance of the new parts against older versions.

This decision to focus on testing likely stems from McLaren`s strong confidence, having won seven of the nine races held so far this season. It would be surprising if they don`t return to their usual competitive form in the second practice session.

Leclerc had momentarily held the fastest time before his crash. He seemingly carried too much speed into the second chicane, resulting in an impact with the barrier at Turn 4 that caused heavy damage to the entire left side of his car.

Following the session, Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur indicated that the damage sustained would likely prevent Leclerc from participating in the second practice session.

This incident adds to what has been a challenging start to the season for Ferrari. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes also experienced difficulties, spinning during the session before finishing fifth, almost half a second adrift of Verstappen.

George Russell secured fourth position for Mercedes. Racing Bulls demonstrated solid performance, with Isack Hadjar finishing sixth and his teammate Liam Lawson in eighth.

Another noteworthy aspect of the session was the near-exclusive use of soft tyres. Only four drivers—Hadjar, Lawson, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Nico Hulkenberg—opted for the medium compound, while the hard tyre was not used at all.

Tyre supplier Pirelli brought their softest C6 compound to the event. The potential for a limited lifespan of this compound appears to have influenced many teams` strategies, leading them to save their allocation of medium tyres for Saturday`s qualifying session.

As the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve track surface evolves and gains grip throughout the day, Friday`s second session is expected to provide a more representative indication of the teams` performance levels heading into the weekend.

Canadian GP Practice One Timesheet