F1 – Norris heads rain-affected first practice session in Montréal

McLaren's Lando Norris topped the timesheets in a stop-start opening practice session for the 2024 FIA Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix that was disrupted by rain. 

A heavy hail storm in the build-up to the opening hour of practice meant that although the session began on time, the pit lane remained closed while track workers cleared standing water from the newly resurfaced track.

After a wait of 21 minutes the pitlane opened and out went Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, on Intermediate Pirelli rubber. He was followed by Sauber's Valtteri Bottas on full Wets tyres, but he soon switched over the green-banded Inters when it became clear that the conditions were improving. 

However, the session was soon halted, when Bottas' team-mate Zhou Guanyu aquaplaned off at Turn 5 and hit the wall on exit. The Chinese driver damaged the rear left corner of his car and the session was red-flagged. 

When the session resumed, light rain had again started to fall, but it soon cleared and dry line began to form. That mean the headline times bean to fall with RB’s Yuki Tsunoda leading the way before Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc took turns at the top of the timesheet.

With a few minutes remaining and the with the track now drying quickly, Leclerc bolted on a set of  Softs. He lower the benchmark at the top but then Norris appeared with a lap of 1:24.435 to steal P1.

Sainz then moved ahead of his team-mate, while Hamilton took fourth ahead of Red BUll Racing’s World Championship leader Max Verstappen. Oscar Piastri was sixth in the second McLaren, followed by Alpine's Pierre Gasly and Bottas. 

Sergio Pérez, who this week signed a two-year extension to his Red Bull contract, finished ninth and the top 10 order was completed by Mercedes’ George Russell. 

2024 Canadian Grand Prix – Free Practice 11 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:24.435 8 185.9372 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:24.763 0.328 11 185.2173 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:25.306 0.871 11 184.0384 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:25.970 1.535 11 182.6175 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:26.502 2.067 10 181.4946 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:26.754 2.319 7 180.9667 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 1:27.584 3.149 8 179.2518 Valtteri Bottas Sauber/Ferrari 1:27.670 3.235 11 179.0769 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:28.058 3.623 10 178.28710 George Russell Mercedes 1:28.541 4.106 9 177.31411 Daniel Ricciardo RB/Honda RBPT 1:28.582 4.147 9 177.23212 Yuki Tsunoda RB/Honda RBPT 1:28.723 4.288 9 176.95013 Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 1:29.052 4.617 8 176.29614 Nico Hülkenberg Haas/Ferrari 1:32.826 8.391 5 169.12915 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:33.411 8.976 4 168.07016 Logan Sargeant Williams/Mercedes 1:36.586 12.151 5 162.54517 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:40.530 16.095 4 156.16818 Zhou Guanyu Sauber/Ferrari - 4 19 Jack Doohan Alpine/Renault - 3 20 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes - 4