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Lewis Hamilton will be desperate for Mercedes to finally give a good account of themselves at this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix. The Silver Arrows have struggled to live up to expectations this year but showed decent pace on Friday in an encouraging sign ahead of this weekend’s race.
Mercedes, like every other team, saw their running limited by rain as the unpredictable weather in Montreal wreaked havoc on the first day of practice. Hamilton, however, clearly saw enough to give him hope that Mercedes will be competitive over the course of the weekend.
Speaking after FP2, he said: “It was a really good session, a good day. The car was feeling strong so I thoroughly enjoyed the session. I didn’t get to finish my lap.”
Max Verstappen was summoned to the stewards after qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix.
The Dutchman may face punishment due to an incident in the pit lane which saw him ignore the race director’s instructions and leave the lane.
It remains to be seen whether Verstappen will be punished following an investigation.
2 hours ago22:15 Charlie Parker-Turner
George Russell claims pole position in Canada
George Russell claimed his second career pole position at the Canadian Grand Prix, pipping Max Verstappen to the top spot despite the two drivers setting the exact same time. The Mercedes star set his lap time first, giving him the upper hand.
Mercedes and Aston Martin picked up where they left off at the end of FP3 when the green light went on in qualifying. Both teams demonstrated plenty of pace, while Ferrari struggled to get their tyres into the right temperature window.
new two-year deal
Yuki Tsunoda has signed a new two-year contract that will keep him with VCARB until the end of the 2025 season.
Speaking after his new deal was announced, the 34-year-old explained: “I’m very happy to be staying with Visa Cash App RB and it’s a good feeling to have my future decided so early in the year.
“For that, I want to thank everyone at Red Bull and Honda who have played such an important role in my career and will continue to do so. The team has a big development project ahead and I’m excited to be part of it. It’s great to know that everyone appreciates all the hard work I have put in and that the team believes I can help it move further up the grid.”
Tsunoda has not shied away from addressing his future previously and recently insisted that he hoped he would receive a contract offer which would indicate the faith that the VCARB have in him – and that demand now appears to have been met.
He said: “I would like to see more commitment from the contract. Obviously I’m already committed with Red Bull a lot and hopefully I can have a bit more commitment from them.”
4 hours ago20:47 Charlie Parker-Turner
Lewis Hamilton quickest in third practice
Excitement is building up in Canada as be approach qualifying, and Lewis Hamilton will head into the session brimming with confidence after topping the FP3.
Chandhok glowing over in-form Hamilton ahead of Montreal qualifying
Karun Chandhok has praised Lewis Hamilton after he topped FP3 at the Canadian Grand Prix on Saturday. The seven-time world champion was a cut above the rest ahead of qualifying.
“The car looks good,” Chandhok noted during the Sky Sports F1 broadcast. “When you watch that on-board, it looks predictable, it looks like he can attack and hustle it. We haven’t seen that level of confidence form Lewis Hamilton for a while.
“He’s a specialist around here. Think back to 2022, when the Mercedes was bouncing all over the place, he still unlocked performance. He still drove away from George, got a great result.
“It is a track where he has been exceptional in the past and I think it’s all coming together a little bit for him.”
5 hours ago19:42 Harry Smith
Sainz ‘number-one target’ for Williams
Carlos Sainz has been named as James Vowles’ number-one target to replace Logan Sargeant at Williams next season. The Spaniard is being courted by the Grove-based team, and Sauber.
“Sainz is our number one target,” Vowles told Sky Sports F1. “There’s a reason why I left Mercedes to come here. This isn’t the Williams of old. Having Sainz on our list shows we are prepared to have a driver line-up that I think will be one of the best on the grid, if it’s achieved.
“We are investing tens, if not hundreds of millions back to where it was in terms of success. In the background, there were a number of really great signings that will slowly start edging out in the next few weeks and months.
“This really is a good journey. We are now starting to see the hard work that was started 12 months ago.
“Williams were a team that were 10th for many years. Last year we were seventh and we started this year poorly but keep an eye out for us. This is a different entity to what it was before.”
6 hours ago18:42 Harry Smith
Hamilton leads Verstappen in promising FP3 session
Lewis Hamilton topped FP3 in Montreal following a magical lap at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Max Verstappen was second-fasted with George Russell following the two former title rivals in third.