Lewis Hamilton led the pack with a standout performance in Saturday’s final practice session for the Canadian Grand Prix, outpacing his Red Bull rival Max Verstappen and Mercedes teammate George Russell under improved weather conditions.
Following Friday’s rain-affected practices, clear skies and warm temperatures welcomed drivers back to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve at 12:30 local time, allowing for the season’s first extensive use of slick tyres.
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Despite the favourable conditions, the threat of rain looms, with potential showers expected to impact qualifying later Saturday and possibly Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Verstappen, who faced technical issues on Friday that limited his track time, was among the first to venture out, quickly encountering a scare at the final chicane. He struggled with steering issues, notably commenting over the radio about the car’s erratic behaviour.
The session also saw a setback for Kick Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu, who crashed after losing control at the first corner, causing a red flag and temporarily halting the session.
Once the track was clear, drivers resumed with a mix of Pirelli’s medium and hard tyres. Verstappen, along with Friday’s fastest, Fernando Alonso, soon broke into the 1m 14s, surpassing the previous day’s times.
Mid-session, drivers switched to soft tyres, leading to quicker laps in the mid-1m 13s range from Hamilton, Lando Norris, and Charles Leclerc, who reported some mechanical and brake issues.
As the session concluded with final attempts on soft tires—including an incident where Alex Albon hit the ‘Wall of Champions’—it was Hamilton who set the fastest lap of 1m 12.549s, asserting his dominance as a frequent pole-sitter and winner at this venue.
Verstappen finished close behind, despite his earlier complaints and a tap against the Wall of Champions, with Russell trailing just slightly in third position.
Local favourite Lance Stroll spearheaded Aston Martin’s efforts, securing fourth place, closely followed by the McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. They were interspersed by Daniel Ricciardo in the RB and flanked by two-time world champion teammate Fernando Alonso.
Sergio Perez finished ninth in the second Red Bull, while Ferrari saw a decline from their initial pace, with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finishing 10th and 12th, respectively, separated by Haas’s Kevin Magnussen. This placement led Leclerc to openly wonder about the team’s sudden drop in performance.
Valtteri Bottas ranked 13th for Kick Sauber, ahead of Williams’ Logan Sargeant—who voiced his frustrations over traffic issues towards the session’s end—followed by Yuki Tsunoda in the other RB, Pierre Gasly leading for Alpine (who inadvertently hindered one of Sainz’s last runs), and Nico Hulkenberg for Haas.
Alex Albon concluded the session in 18th place, his performance hampered by a crash into the wall that necessitated a slow return to the pits due to suspension damage, rounding off with the sidelined Zhou and the departing Alpine driver at the back of the pack.
Canadian GP FP3 Results
2024 Canadian Grand Prix FP3, 8 June 2024
Source: formula1.com
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