Norris is fastest in extremely wet FP1 session

Lando Norris has topped a very wet practice session ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix with a quick lap at the end on softs. Carlos Sainz led much of the session but dropped down one place on the slick tyres. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton rounded out the top four. Max Verstappen jumped up to P5 at the end.

Heavy rain fell an hour before the start of the first free practice session. The session started on time, but the pitlane remained closed for a while. With just under 40 minutes to go, the drivers were still able to drive on the track in Canada.

The drivers appeared with full wet tyres. Lewis Hamilton was one of the first drivers on the track and waved to the crowd as he went around the hairpin. The Mercedes driver is fitted with a new PU this weekend. The track started to dry, but Zhou Gunayu caused a red flag. His car aquaplaned, and he slid into the barrier. The Chinese driver had too much damage and missed the rest of the session.

Intermediate tyres became increasingly common. There was a lull before the final five minutes. Charles Leclerc then emerged with soft tyres and explored the dry parts of the circuit. He was soon joined by McLaren and Red Bull. More rain is forecast for the rest of the weekend, so drivers might have to experience these conditions again during the meaningful moments in Canada.

It is impossible to read into the session and reach conclusions, though Jack Doohan might feel a bit frustrated. Doohan replaced Esteban Ocon for this session as part of the rookie practice FP1s. Due to the weather, Doohan didn't complete much running. A lot of quicker laps were completed on soft tyres towards the end.