Lewis Hamilton dominates in Canada with a double for Mercedes, while the two Alpines are immobilized by breakdowns

Lewis Hamilton came out on top on a difficult first day of free practice in Canada. Disturbed by a breakdown in the internal TV signal, the morning session was almost non-existent, forcing the afternoon session to be extended by half an hour. Good news for Mercedes, which achieved a double.

Hamilton clocked the fastest time of 1:13.718, just a few hundredths of a second quicker than teammate George Russell. It should be noted that the Mercedes set their best lap well after the rest of the grid, probably taking advantage of the improved track conditions. However, the battle for pole position remains open.

Red Bull reserves a surprise, showing that they are far behind. Max Verstappen was only sixth, while Sergio Pérez finished eighth after hitting the wall and damaging his Red Bull. World leaders are reacting dramatically to this situation.

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F1 GP Canada 2023 timetables: Dates, favorites and how to watch the race live on TV and online

Those who dominated the session until the last minute before the restart by Mercedes were the Ferrari drivers. Carlos Sainz puts in an exceptional performance in Canada, setting the third fastest time of the day, just a tenth of a second behind Hamilton. Charles Leclerc ranks fifth. The Montreal circuit seems ripe for a battle for pole position from Ferrari.

We have little information on Aston Martin's performance in Canada so far. Fernando Alonso's team made several improvements to this Grand Prix and dedicated free practice sessions to testing them. The cars were coated in paraffin and plenty of adjustments were made for Alonso and Lance Stroll during a marathon day with little time on the track.

However, what has been observed gives rise to some moderate optimism. Alonso reported some instability, but he gradually worked through those issues and ended up setting the fourth fastest time by completing many laps on worn tyres. It should be noted that he never used new tires and was low on fuel, yet he finished just three tenths of a second behind Hamilton. Lance Stroll finished ninth.

Alpine was hit by the drama of the day, with the two Renault cars abandoned on the track in Canada. The first incident occurred in the morning when Pierre Gasly had to end his session shortly before the end, followed closely by Esteban Ocon who also had to end his session prematurely in the afternoon. A third mechanical problem also affected Nico Hülkenberg's Haas.

The big surprise is Valtteri Bottas. Not only did he finish seventh, but he also consistently rode at high speed, with good pace and in the top positions. Alfa Romeo's DRS system seems to be very effective and Bottas takes the opportunity to take the lead in Canada.

Results P2 Formula 1 Canadian GP 2023