Verstappen struggles and hits wall in FP3 Canada
- Sandy van Wijngaarden
Max Verstappen has had another session with many problems. The RB20 does not seem to be working quite as it should, much to the Dutchman's displeasure. At the end of the third practice session in Canada, he even hit the wall.
On Friday in Canada, the Dutchman faced a major problem. The new engine that had been put in his car prior to the Grand Prix weekend broke down after which a lot of smoke came out. Although Helmut Marko told after this session that this was about the old engine, this turned out not to be the case.
The new engine was beyond repair on the track and was sent back to the factory in England. Max Verstappen thus drove with an old engine again in the third free practice session. The Dutchman struggled with several problems in this session, including his steering wheel not quite doing what he wanted, the car jumping around in certain corners and hitting the wall.
With only a minute to go, the Dutchman was on his last fast lap. He was clearly on the limit, as he hit the wall just before the finish. This did not cause any further major damage to the RB20. This lap ultimately ensured he finished in second place in FP3, more than three-tenths behind Lewis Hamilton.
This article was written in collaboration with Ben Stevens.