The circuit named after the unforgettable Gilles Villeneuve, in Montreal, is the venue for the Canadian Grand Prix, the ninth of 2024 for Formula 1.
Built in Jean Drapeau Park, on the Island of Notre Dame, the very fast semi-permanent Canadian track has 14 corners and measures 4.361 kilometres.
For Canada, Pirelli has chosen the softest compounds in the range: the C5 (Soft), le C4 (Medium) and the C3 (Hard).
Free practice
The three days in Canada began only after heavy rain, which then turned to hail: taking advantage of the only possible moment to fit dry tyres, the FP1 record on Friday was set by Lando Norris, in 1’24″435 (Soft).
FP2 on Friday afternoon was also characterized by thunderstorms, except for a single window in which – with flat tires – Fernando Alonso set the record, in 1’15″810 (Soft).
It doesn’t rain on Saturday, but it’s quite cold and the sky is leaden: Lewis Hamilton set the best time, 1’12”549 (Soft).
Qualifications
Qualifying took place in the dry, except for a few drops of rain that arrived halfway through the session, but the constant was the low temperatures.
Max Verstappen is the fastest in Q1, in 1’12”360 (Soft), in which, moreover, his teammate Sergio Perez remains excluded, sixteenth.
In Q2, preceded by a few drops, George Russell is at the top, in 1’11”979 (Soft); the two Ferraris did not go beyond eleventh place, with Charles Leclerc and twelfth position, with Carlos Sainz.
In the first run of the decisive Q3, Russell confirms himself, who in 1’12”000 is the poleman provisional.
The Briton will have another attempt available, but will not improve by twenty-six thousandths (1’12”026).
The one who improved his initial 1’12″358 was Verstappen who stopped at 1’12″000 on the second fastest lap.
Verstappen’s time is the same thousandth of Russell’s, but the Dutchman set it later, so the pole position it is the prerogative of George Russell, ahead of Red Bull.
Third was Lando Norris (twenty-one thousandths behind Mercedes), fourth was Oscar Piastri.
The race
The rain also arrives on Sunday, so much so that the drivers take the cars on the grid (including the two Kick Saubers, which however start from the pits) fitting extreme wet tyres, so as to preserve the Intermediate.
It also rains during the alignment procedures: almost everyone starts the Grand Prix on intermediate tires, except for the Haas of Kevin Magnsussen and Nico Hulkenberg, on Full Wet.
As the traffic lights go out, Russell keeps his lead on Verstappen, Norris, Piastri, but in general there is maximum caution.
The extreme wet tyres, at least at the beginning, help the two Haas who constantly move up in the early stages: at the start of lap 4, the Dane is fourth, the German is eighth
Already on lap 6, however, it no longer rains and the sun has come out, although the grip remains minimal, as demonstrated (lap 6) by the long run – without consequences – on the second chicane (turn 6/7) by Logan Sargeant.
At the end of the seventh lap, Magnussen returns for the intermediates, demonstrating a track that is drying out; at the same time, still on Full WetHulkenberg collapses and will also stop soon, at the end of step 12 (for intermediates).
As second, Verstappen follows Russell, even when he would try to do Hamilton with Alonso for fifth place.
The two in command, however, must watch out for Norris’ recovery; then on lap 17, Verstappen comes wide at the “S” Senna (turn 1/2), leaving Russell to breathe and finding the McLaren “at the rear”.
From lap 18 the Race Direction allows the use of DRS: the opportunity is seized by the British driver from McLaren on lap 20, overtaking Verstappen on the outside of the last chicane.
Not even half a lap has passed before Norris is already in Russell’s exhaust: the number 4 has excellent directionality in slow corners and so, coming out of the hairpin with excellent traction Casinoattacks and overtakes the Mercedes driver in the next braking section.
Russell also arrives wide and thus also loses second position to Verstappen.
On lap 25, thanks to a spin in turn 4, Sargeant’s race ends: he enters Safety Car and Verstappen, Russell and Piastri immediately return to ride new intermediates, but not Lando Norris.
Hamilton and Alonso also return (again for the intermediates) and the faster Mercedes mechanics help the Briton to overtake the Spaniard, taking fifth.
At the end of lap 26 Norris also goes to the pits, but the “lost” lap costs him the positions over Verstappen and Norris, dropping the Englishman to third.
At the end of lap 28, Charles Leclerc – slowed down since the opening laps due to an engine problem – ventured on hard dry tyres. The car, however, turns off and it takes more than 24 seconds before starting again.
There Safety Car he returns at the end of lap 29 and the Grand Prix resumes from lap 30: there are no immediate changes in the rankings, although there is light rain again.
Alexander Albon instead invents a double overtaking on Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon – at the last chicane – going directly up to ninth position momentarily.
Leclerc had to return at the end of lap 31 for the intermediates, proving the very wrong choice to put smooth tyres; Things are no better for Carlos Sainz, who in thirteenth – on lap 32 – hits Valtteri Bottas at the Casino hairpin (turn 10), partially damaging the front wing.
Once the bad weather phase was over, within about ten laps the track began to dry again.
However, complexities remain in managing similar conditions.
Norris comes wide at the “S” Senna (lap 42) but does not lose any position; when lap 43 was underway, Leclerc opted to retire.
At the end of lap 43, Hamilton (and also Sainz and Sergio Perez at the back) switches to medium dry tyres; Piastri does the same at the end of 44 (he also averages).
Verstappen”pitta” at the end of lap 45 (average), together with Russell (Hard).
On the contrary – still on the intermediates – Norris lengthens the stint and when pushing hard, it runs at the low 23” minute.
The Englishman stops at the end of lap 47, for medium: those two extra passes almost put him ahead of Verstappen, who however – with the tires already up to temperature – has better acceleration and immediately takes first again.
The other McLaren, that of Piastri, caught Russell, in turn behind Norris: the Mercedes went second on lap 49, thanks to the overtaking before the chicane final, after taking advantage of an opponent’s mistake at the hairpin.
Norris, however, returns the courtesy just two passes later: this time it is the Briton from Mercedes who makes the mistake – on the third chicanethat of the Bridge – and the class of 1999 is quick to recover what was previously lost.
The sequence of errors also continues: in lap 52 Sergio Perez crashes, destroying the rear wing, even though the Mexican was able to at least return to the pit lane to park the car.
One round later, the same second chicane it is the scene of the accident between Sainz and Albon, both forced to end their day prematurely: the Williams driver is hit by the Ferrari, which slipped on the curb and spun on its own.
Again Safety Car and at the end of lap 54, Russell and Hamilton are in the pits, respectively for the medium and hard tires.
The race restarts on lap 59, with Verstappen trying to build a small margin over the two McLarens chasing him.
Pastri has to defend himself – on lap 63 – from the attack on the outside of turn 13 brought by Russell; number 63 tries again at the next step, in the exact same way.
Piastri pulls at him again and the two touch, risking colliding: Russell has to cut the corner, leaving the way for Hamilton.
The number 44 overtakes the Australian with momentum on lap 65 – taking advantage of his slipstream and with DRS – but he is forced to deal with his teammate.
In fact, on lap 66, Russell passed Piastri and took fourth: Russell can take advantage of the medium tyres, which perform better than Hamilton’s hard ones.
The number 63 is in the wake of his more experienced British teammate within a lap and at 68 he invents the overtaking that is worth the day: inside the last corner, on the dirt and despite the strenuous defense of his teammate Hamilton.
At the end of the 70 scheduled laps, the checkered flag salutes the victory of Max Verstappen, ahead of Norris and George Russell, who gave Mercedes their first podium of 2024.
Hamilton fourth had to settle for the bonus point reserved for the fastest lap, set in 1’14″856 in the final lap, number 70.
Fifth Piastri, then Fernando Alonso, the Canadian and his partner in Aston Martin Lance Stroll, Daniel Ricciardo and the two Alpine-Renaults of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon.
Formula 1 will return to the track in two weeks, in Barcelona, for the Spanish Grand Prix.
Lorenzo Proietti
Lorenzo Proietti on Barbadillo.it
Views: 0
