‘Can you get the fans? I smell smoke’: More Max issues as Aussies thrive in wet, chaotic F1 practice

Fernando Alonso led the way for Aston Martin in Friday’s second free practice at the Canadian Grand Prix, the two-time world champion making the most of changing conditions to outpace Mercedes’ George Russell on a wet day at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Alonso clocked a best lap in one minute and 15.810 seconds to beat Russell by 0.462 seconds in an unpredictable and open session that saw Red Bull’s defending three-time world champion Max Verstappen struggling again.

The Dutchman managed only four laps and jumped out of his smoking car in the pits midway through a session that offered few clues of what to expect in Saturday’s qualifying or Sunday’s race.

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Home hope Lance Stroll was third in the second Aston Martin ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, winner of his home Monaco Grand Prix two weeks ago, Daniel Ricciardo of RB, Haas’s Kevin Magnussen and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton in the second Mercedes.

Yuki Tsnuoda was eighth for RB ahead of improving Williams’ Alex Albon with Sergio Perez 10th for Red Bull, days after signing a two-year contract extension with the team.

Earlier, Lando Norris topped the times for McLaren ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in the rain-abbreviated opening free practice.

Oscar Piastri, in the second McLaren, had a solid session to finish sixth, while fellow Aussie Ricciardo (11th) outpaced RB teammate Tsunoda (12th).

After the rain-hit opening session, which reduced the action to only 35 minutes including just five on slicks, there was an early queue to leave the pit lane as another rainstorm arrived.

“It’s coming down much harder now,” warned Russell, as Verstappen led the way before pitting immediately to switch from softs to mediums.

A bold lap on soft slicks from Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, in 1:29.007, lifted him 5.8 seconds clear of an earlier Hamilton lap.

He trimmed it to 1:24.389 – a full 10 seconds faster than anyone else – and then to 1:20.789 before anyone else began to find any real grip.

As they did, Ricciardo, Alonso and Stroll showed bold speed on softs, the home hero reducing the best lap time to 1:18.662 before Alonso clocked 1:17.835, the top three making light of the conditions.

Verstappen’s recent struggles continued with the Red Bull driver pulling his car in and swiftly jumping out.

“Can we get the fans?” he asked. “I think I smell a bit of smoke.”

By mid-session, the track was declared dry again as Alonso trimmed the best lap to 1:15.810, four-tenths ahead of Russell, Stroll and Leclerc.

Verstappen was gone, after only four completed laps as Red Bull organised a wall of mechanics to hide the repair work on an electronics problem from public view.

Rain returned, with 24 minutes to go, sending the drivers back to the pits and most spectators deeper into their hooded waterproof ponchos.

It meant frustration for Hamilton who, according to Mercedes, was on a pace-setting fastest lap before he was blocked at the final chicane by a Ferrari and had to take avoiding action.

All this left the session’s meaningful running reduced again with Ocon heading out on intermediates followed by Alonso, Stroll and Norris. The Frenchman had missed the opening session, when Alpine handed his car to reserve rookie driver Jack Doohan.

For the fans, who braved an early storm, the ultimate action in the opening free practice was some reward and they also witnessed the rare sight of several drivers spinning off across wet grass — including Verstappen, Bottas and local hope Stroll of Aston Martin.

The circuit was hit by a severe hailstorm before practice began, leaving sections of the track awash with standing water and the pit-lane access closed.

Race Control announced that the session was set to start on time. But with the pit-lane exit closed, this effectively confirmed that no cars could go out to entertain a big Friday crowd braving the elements.

Verstappen, like the rest, remained in the Red Bull garage having admitted he was expecting a difficult weekend as he sought to repeat his triumph from pole position last year.

His chief concern, he said, was not the weather, but his car’s performance when riding kerbs on street circuits — a weakness that had accounted for defeats this year in Melbourne, Miami and Monaco.

“This has been a problem since day one of the new regulations,” he said.

“It’s something we know, but we haven’t fixed. It takes time. You have to redesign things, it’s a work in progress.

“I still think we can do a job this year if it all works out, but at the moment we have to try a few things and see what works. I’m still hopeful.”

Marshals worked with drainage machines to clear the track, even as it started raining again, before the action began 25 minutes late with Hamilton — a Montreal specialist, who won his first race in Canada and shares the record of seven wins with Ferrari legend Michael Schumacher — lapping on intermediate tyres.

“Grip level is very low,” reported Hamilton, as his former teammate Bottas joined him on full wets, pitting quickly for a switch to intermediates.

Hamilton’s first timed lap was in 1:40.077, some 15 seconds off the anticipated pace, as Norris led a clutch of others out to join him, soon followed by Verstappen, and the sun emerged to help dry the track.

Eleven minutes into the live action, Zhou Guanyu came to a halt after smacking the left side of his Sauber into the wall at Turn Five, bringing out a red flag.

“Aquaplaning man, I lost the car,” he admitted.

His car was lifted clear, and the session resumed with 21 minutes remaining and the newly-resurfaced circuit drying rapidly.

The improving conditions brought tumbling lap times. Hamilton set the pace, followed by Leclerc and then Sainz, in 1:27.485, all on intermediates before the teams opted to preserve their tyres in expectation of a wet second session later Friday.

With five minutes to go, Leclerc went out on soft ‘slicks’ followed by Norris, Verstappen and Sainz, all scrambling to stay on the emerging dry line in a frantic finale.

— AFP