Canadian GP Free Practice: the two Mercedes lock the front row, but watch out for Ferrari!

That Friday in Montreal had to be distorted in its format seemed inevitable at a certain point: having escaped the fires in North America and the heavy rain forecasted, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve had to surrender (temporarily) to a problem with the CCTV cameras, which actually led to the cancellation of the first free practice session.

The organizers therefore decided to extend the second session by 30 minutes, in order to give enough time to the teams to carry out their tests and to the fans in Montreal to enjoy the show on the track.

The classification that emerges from the 90 minutes of this single practice session is as follows:

Mercedes at the top, thanks also to the track conditions

First two positions therefore for the Mercedes W14s, which by virtue of a work program actually opposite to their rivals (with a race pace simulation at the start of the session and some qualifying laps at the end of it), took advantage of the track when it was in the best rubbering conditions to achieve the best absolute performance.

Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images

What we saw on Friday in Canada satisfied Lewis Hamilton almost completely: now the 7-times world champion will be able to concentrate on fixing the final details of the setup of his W14, before the qualifying and the race.

“It went well, even if it's probably the most bumpy track I've raced on in a long time. It was a strange day, obviously we lost part of the first session due to the camera problem. I felt sorry for the fans, there were so many people in the grandstands. I'm happy that then we were able to get back on track. Compared to last year, the car is certainly much better. The rear end maybe not, not necessarily, but overall the car is a step forward. I can feel the improvements made in Monaco”

Lewis Hamilton

The only problem, for Mercedes as for the others, could be the rain that is expected during the FP3 and qualifying sessions. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, with its high kerbs and a track surface with low grip, can be a trap in rainy conditions for everyone, but even more for those teams who - being confident in a sunny weather ahead of the race - will decide to use a low downforce set-up.

Ferrari flies in sector 3 and doesn't destroy the tyres: will it be like this in the race?

Although the two Ferraris of Sainz and Leclerc are "only" in third and fifth position in the classification, it can rightly be said that the Maranello team was the author of the most convincing Friday of this 2023 so far. Yes, because not only did the two drivers appear on point in qualifying conditions (which had already happened in Bahrain, Azerbaijan and - in a lesser form - in Monaco) but they also proved to be consistent in the race pace simulations, the weakest point of the SF-23.

Francois Tremblay / Motorsport Images

The icing on Friday's cake at Ferrari is that, had it not been for a red flag (caused by Esteban Ocon's Alpine) displayed during Leclerc's flying lap, the Monegasque driver could have set an even better laptime, and that perhaps he would even have been ahead of the two Mercedes - which, as mentioned, achieved it in better track conditions.

“It was only Friday and there's still a lot of work to do, but all in all it was a positive day because the sensations in the car were good. The standings don't fully reflect the value of our potential because I couldn't take advantage of the second set of soft tyres due to the red flag. The pace also seems good and we will continue to work in this direction"

Charles Leclerc

“The limited track time available in FP1 led to a particularly intense FP2, in which we tested all three dry tyre compounds and different setups to improve the car's performance. I would say that we progressed well during the day: the result is quite positive even if we still lack a bit of pace and absolute performance in view of qualifying"

Carlos Sainz

In short, as it is legitimate to expect after many disappointments, the statements of the two Ferrari drivers are pretty cautious: an (all in all) fair approach, also because there are still many obstacles and potential unforeseen events that separate Charles and Carlos from a good result. Above all, as already mentioned, the arrival of some rain... from this point of view, Ferrari decided to "unload" the wings and favor top speed, demonstrated by an incomparable third sector which cannot be attributed only with the installation of a new Power Unit (at the third unit in this year).

The way Maranello's engineers are looking for significant laptimes can bear fruit in dry conditions, but could be just as detrimental in the wet (where the right amount of downforce, in addition to improving the grip per se, helps to put heat into the tyres).

Red Bull too stiff for Montreal bumps

At this point one might wonder why the two Red Bull RB19s are not in the first places in the standings: the reason why Verstappen (P6) and Perez (P8) did not feel at ease during free practices is to be found in the setup of their car.

"It wasn't a linear day, but in any case we need to improve the setup: we struggle on the kerbs and bumps, but sometimes days like these happen to us. We know our limits, with so many bumps and kerbs it's not perfect for the package of our car... for now it's like that"

Max Verstappen

Since the beginning of the season we have extolled the qualities of the RB19 explaining that, among the many secrets of its competitiveness, there are suspensions that allow it to maintain a constant ride height.

Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

While this can be an advantage almost everywhere, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve does not reward such stiff setups, as to go fast there you need to be able to jump over the kerbs without getting upset - which, for once, made a Ferrari decidedly "softer" in its suspension stiffness. Who is "in the middle" in this aspect is the Aston Martin AMR23 of Alonso and Stroll, quite unfathomable in the 90' session.

Rear wing of the Red Bull RB19 in FP2 of the Canadian GP

Rear wing of the Red Bull RB19 in FP2 of the Canadian GP (photo: Albert Fabrega)

The high downforce setup chosen for Friday could play into the hands of the English-Austrian team, and which probably should also be maintained in qualifying and in the race: Verstappen and Perez will have to hope for the rain to regain the advantage that has marked their 2023 so far.

The engine blows up on Hulkenberg's Haas, alarm bell for Ferrari Power Units?

A red flag was shown at the start of FP2 due to an engine failure on Nico Hulkenberg's Haas, with his VF23 stranded trackside on the main straight.

Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

The use of more demanding Ferrari Power Unit mappings on Hulkenberg's car compared to Magnussen is a constant in 2023: as repeated several times, these are tests that Ferrari engineers carry out to understand what the laptime advantage is on each track by exploiting the PU in more "extreme" ways. Here, in this case we can say that the limit of use has been - more than found - exceeded...

FP3 times and qualifying at the Montreal circuit

The third free practice session is set at 18.30 and the qualifying at 22.00 (CET). This time it promises to be a show by no means obvious... have fun!

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