Puffing on a cigarette clearly unsettles Verstappen.
Weather issues creep up on Formula 1 drivers during their first training day in Canada, with Max Verstappen facing a unique challenge that could favor Ferrari and McLaren.
After climbing out of his Red Bull and removing his helmet, Verstappen's disappointed team of mechanics began to fix his racing car. The day's training for the Red Bull F1 World Champion saw technical problems halt his progress during the second free session of the Canadian Grand Prix. The rains throughout Friday made for a not-so-productive day for the teams.
Verstappen was visibly upset as smoke escaped from his Red Bull's rear end after just four laps, but the team eventually diagnosed the issue as a fault in the energy recovery system. "The team is working hard to understand what happened," said Verstappen, "We need to fix this problem for the rest of the weekend."
Friday's evening sessions were practically canceled due to the severe weather and the clean-up that followed. Fernando Alonso set the fastest time, a 1:15.810 on a wet track, edging out Lando Norris, who posted the fastest lap in the morning with a 1:24.435. The unpredictable conditions made it challenging for teams to gain valuable insights.
McLaren and Ferrari, however, saw hope in the disappointing day. The recent races have seen Ferrari and McLaren showing promising pace, with Leclerc's win in Monaco and Norris' second-place finish in Miami. Sitting in third place in the championship, Verstappen is a prime target for fierce competition.
Both Ferrari and McLaren used the medium tire compound during the second training, with Leclerc coming in fourth and Norris bringing up the rear. Few clean laps were completed in the second session since the weather rarely permitted slick tires. In the first half hour, a brief lull in the rain allowed for a few Hampshire tires to be laid down. But as the session progressed, the rain claimed its due, making it impossible to further improve lap times.
The teams will have Sunday's third free practice (6 p.m. CEST) to gather additional information. The qualifying will take place at 10 p.m. CEST (8 p.m. CEST on Sky and live at ntv.de), setting the stage for the race on Sunday. Fourth and sixth are no strangers to keeping up with the leaderboard this season. First, in contrast, constantly strives to maintain his position as the frontrunner.
