F1 LIVE | Norris tops FP1 despite wet conditions

F1 LIVE | FP1: Canadian Grand Prix

This weekend marks the ninth round of the 2024 World Championship. Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing flew out of the blocks in Bahrain, but the competition has caught them up in recent weeks. Some stakeholders are tentatively suggesting we have a title battle on our hands in 2024. The weekend in Montreal will provide yet another insight into this. 

Ferrari and McLaren have closed the gap recently. Charles Leclerc won his home race in Monaco, while Lando Norris secured his first career win in Miami. Verstappen did win the Imola Grand Prix, but only by seven-tenths as Norris hunted him down in the closing stages of the race. The tension is increasing within Formula 1.

Weekend in Canada

As is now tradition, the early phase of the European season is broken up by a trip to North America. The race weekend in Canada is one of Lewis Hamilton's happiest hunting grounds. The seven-time Formula 1 World Champion has won eight times in Canada, equal with Michael Schumacher. Hamilton needs one more win in Montreal to take the record, but Mercedes aren't expected to be strong enough for victory this weekend. 

The Gilles Villeneuve circuit is one of the faster circuits on the Formula 1 calendar. Three straights with DRS prove that. That doesn't mean the drivers just need to step on the accelerator pedal to complete a lap, though: Slow corners and technical sections that drivers need to pay close attention to can also be found on the track. And because it's a semi-street circuit, the walls are always close.

Right at the start, the tight corners combination 1-2 make it exciting. In the past, we have already seen the necessary heaps of rubble in this chicane. If that wasn't enough, just before the long straight, the hairpin will see some action, leading, of course, to a thrilling point at Turn Fourteen: The famed Wall of Champions.