The sun is finally out! The third free practice session of the Canadian Grand Prix is free from rain, and the teams use the dry hour to prepare for qualifying. Lewis Hamilton, on a track he likes, pulled out a great lap in the single-lap simulation, reaching 1’12″549 on soft tires. The seven-time world champion possibly had a more aggressive engine map, as George Russell, who had set his time earlier when the Montreal track was still evolving in terms of grip, finished third with a W15 that was better than usual.
Between the two black and silver arrows, Max Verstappen squeezed in. On his last lap, he nearly touched the Wall of Champions, while Alexander Albon, with the Williams, hit it more decisively, damaging his rear suspension. After yesterday’s issues with the MGU-K (engine 3 was sent to Milton Keynes for more thorough checks), Verstappen mounted the PU2. The Dutchman found a good lap on an empty tank but experienced noticeable graining on the front left tire, and his race simulation was not very impressive.
Lance Stroll, boosted by the home crowd, secured fourth place with a much-improved Aston Martin. Fernando Alonso was only eighth on softs, but the Spaniard had impressed with an interesting long run on hards. The “green car” seems to have solved some of its endemic problems, as Lance placed ahead of the two McLarens. Oscar Piastri was once again ahead of Lando Norris: the Australian was fifth, but only by a few thousandths over his English teammate, who was seventh. Between the two “papaya” cars, Daniel Ricciardo placed sixth with the Racing Bull, while Yuki Tsunoda, who is rumored to be renewing his contract, was only 15th.
Sergio Perez was ninth with Red Bull, but Charles Leclerc’s tenth place with Ferrari was surprising. The Monegasque driver complained over the radio about the car being too slow, after suffering from a front brake issue that prevented him from finding the best balance under braking. Carlos Sainz also struggled, never managing to complete a clean lap, indicating that the SF-24 is still not in order. The eight-tenths gap is concerning, but there is a strong suspicion that Ferrari used an engine with a less aggressive map, so the performance is lacking, but it doesn’t necessarily mean the team is in crisis as it appeared on the track.
In the third free practice session of the Canadian Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc expressed all his concerns about qualifying.
Charles Leclerc’s team radio
What the Ferrari driver said over the team radio leaves no room for interpretation: “We are extremely slow,” he said. Even Marc Gené, the Maranello team’s ambassador and commentator for Sky Sport F1, described the first session on Saturday as “not optimal” for both Ferrari drivers.
We just have to wait for the Canadian Grand Prix qualifying to see if the Maranello team can overcome the evident, yet unknown, difficulties encountered.
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