Russell tops second Canadian GP practice
George Russell set the pace for Mercedes in the second Canadian Grand Prix practice on Friday after Red Bull's Formula One champion Max Verstappen led the opening session at Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc sat out the later session after crashing in the first, leaving mechanics plenty of work to repair the car.
Aston Martin's Lance Stroll, who missed the previous race in Spain due to hand and wrist pain, crashed at turn seven in second practice for his home grand prix and smashed the front left suspension.
Russell's time of 1:12.123 seconds compared to Verstappen's earlier afternoon effort of 1:13.193.
The pair qualified on the front row last year with identical times, with Russell on pole but Verstappen going on to win the race for a third year in a row.
They also clashed in Spain two weekends ago, with Verstappen left on the brink of a ban after driving into the Mercedes.
The Dutch driver was only ninth in Friday's second practice, behind Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, with McLaren's Lando Norris the closest to Russell and only 0.028 slower.
"The car is jumping like crazy in the rear, like the ride is terrible," reported Verstappen over the radio.
Mercedes' strong form was emphasised by Russell's rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli setting the third best time, 0.288 off the pace.
Runaway championship leaders McLaren had made a comparatively slow start to the weekend until Norris' lap, with Australian Oscar Piastri seventh and sixth and testing upgrades including a new front wing.
Piastri leads Norris by 10 points after nine of the season's 24 rounds.
Williams' Alex Albon was second and fourth in the sessions, but strangely missed his garage when pitting in the second and had to go around again, with teammate Carlos Sainz third and seventh.
Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso ended the day fifth.
Leclerc brought out the red flags when he hit the wall at the second chicane with 45 minutes remaining, causing extensive damage to his Ferrari. Ferrari said the survival cell needed to be replaced.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
TimesLIVE
42 minutes ago
- TimesLIVE
Burns leads US Open, Scott and Spaun sit one shot back
Sam Burns moved closer to a major breakthrough as he held a one-shot lead over Australian Adam Scott, who turned back the clock to enter the mix, and J.J. Spaun after the third round of the US Open on Saturday at Oakmont Country Club. Burns and Spaun took turns trading or sharing the lead for much of the day but it was the former who finished in front with a one-under-par 69 that brought him to four under on the week at the major that is considered golf's toughest test. A five-time winner on the PGA Tour who lost in a playoff last week in Canada, Burns was inconsistent off the tee but managed to lean on other aspects of his game to move into the driver's seat at Oakmont. 'When I got out of position I feel like I did a good job of getting myself back in the fairway, having a wedge or short iron in my hand and giving myself a chance for par,' said Burns. 'I was able to convert some of those and kind of kept the momentum going. So that was kind of key to the round today.' Burns dropped into a three-way share of the lead with Spaun and Scott after missing a six-foot par putt at 16 but never wavered and delivered a bounce-back birdie at 17 after stuffing his approach seven inches from the hole for a tap-in birdie. Not to be outdone, playing partner Spaun birdied the same hole from 13 feet to end his string of 12 consecutive pars and grab a share of the lead before an errant tee shot at the last led to a closing bogey for a 69. 'I'm just happy I'm still within shouting distance going into tomorrow,' said Spaun. Scott, the 2013 Masters champion who is playing his 96th consecutive major, missed several birdie putts but converted three on the back nine for 67, equalling the low round of the day and will play in Sunday's final pairing with Burns. For Scott, whose lone major came at the 2013 Masters, a win on Sunday would set the record for longest time between a player winning his first and second majors, something that is not lost on the 44-year-old Australian. 'Everyone out here has got their journey, you know. Putting ourselves in these positions doesn't just happen by fluke. It's not easy to do it,' said Scott. 'If I were to come away with it tomorrow, it would be a hell of a round of golf and an exclamation point on my career.' World number 14 Viktor Hovland (70) was alone in fourth place and three shots off the pace. LIV Golf's Carlos Ortiz was enjoying a rather stress-free trip around the notoriously treacherous Oakmont layout until a closing bogey, but still signed for a 67 that left him at even par on the week and alone in fifth place. Fellow LIV player Tyrell Hatton (68) was a further shot back in sixth place with South African Thriston Lawrence (70). Pre-tournament favourite Scottie Scheffler was unable to make a big move as he mixed four bogeys with four birdies for an even-par 70 that left him at four over. 'I felt like I had a hard time getting momentum,' said Scheffler. 'I made a few silly mistakes out there, a couple three-putts, which is just a killer.' Rory McIlroy, trying to shake off a Masters hangover since completing the career Grand Slam at Augusta in April, started the day nine shots off the lead and carded a four-over-par 74 that left him at 10 over. 'The name of the game this week is staying patient and try to do a good job of it out there, but it's one of those golf courses that you can lose patience on pretty quickly,' McIlroy said. 'I was hoping to play better but I didn't.'
IOL News
an hour ago
- IOL News
Formula 1: Russell's stunning pole position and playful jibe at Verstappen in Canada
Mercedes' British driver George Russell celebrates winning the pole position during the qualifying session for the 2025 Canada Formula 1 Grand Prix. Verstappen was handed a timed penalty that dropped him to 10th and also given three points on his drivers' super-licence, taking him to a total of 11 and within one point of a ban if he commits any further misdemeanours. His light-hearted jibe referred to his verbal rivalry with Verstappen since last season and their recent clash at the Spanish Grand Prix - where the Dutchman rammed into Russell's car in the closing stages. The 27-year-old Briton was delighted with what he described as "one of the most exhilarating laps of my life" and said, when asked about the prospect of starting alongside Red Bull's four-time champion, that he had "a few more penalty points to play with". Mercedes' George Russell grabbed a dazzling pole position and then enjoyed cracking a joke at rival Max Verstappen's expense on Saturday after clocking a sensational lap in qualifying for Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix. Fans in the capacity crowd at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve roared their approval as Russell warmed to his theme after clocking the only sub 1.11 lap of the weekend to date. "We're mates, so it's all good," insisted Russell, despite his tense and often strained relationship with Verstappen who, in Barcelona, said "give him some tissues" after their clash. "But I've got a few more points on my license to play with so, yeah, let's see," Russell said. It may have been good-natured fun, but it was also a reminder to Verstappen that he cannot risk repeating his "red mist" aggression and a possible race ban on Sunday. Russell captured his first pole this year at the end of a thrilling session. Russell clocked a best lap in one minute and 10.899 seconds to outpace Verstappen by 0.160 seconds. "On my steering wheel, you've got the delta and I just saw every corner that I was just going one-tenth quicker and I got into the last corner and I was six-tenths off so I knew the lap was mighty," Russell said. "Crossing the line and seeing we were P1 was a real surprise, but I was so chuffed with it. It was probably one of the most exhilarating laps of my life, an awesome experience in front of this amazing crowd.' Verstappen, who is third in this year's drivers' title race behind the McLaren pair Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, shook hands with Russell to congratulate him, but will harbour hopes of claiming an unprecedented fourth consecutive Canadian win. Last year, Russell led from pole for 20 laps before pitting to hand the lead to Norris for five laps until he also pitted. Verstappen then took control to win ahead of Norris with Russell coming home third. "I'm very happy with what we have achieved to be on the front row," said Verstappen, having claimed Red Bull's 200th front row start. "Tomorrow, we can have a solid race. We did the right thing with the tyres." 'Childish, annoying' Asked about starting alongside Russell, the champion refused to comment, showing real irritation about the speculation on penalty points and bans. "I'm not talking about it anymore," he said, having already confirmed he would not change his aggressive style.
The Citizen
an hour ago
- The Citizen
Frugal and fast BMW X3 20d proves that diesel is not dead yet
SUV well-priced offering in the premium segment inhabited by Audi and Mercedes-Benz. Because I have been around a while and by that I mean like forever, I was there when all everybody could talk about was diesel. If you didn't have diesel vehicles in your portfolio, you were struggling as a motor manufacturer. This was a time when diesel was the clever option. You didn't buy an oil-burner to show off. You bought it because you were the guy who could drive from Joburg to Cape Town on one tank. BMW keeps the faith Diesel was efficient, torquey and sensible. And then people decided that battery electric vehicles is the thing that was going to save the world. Conveniently ignoring how the batteries are made and that we burn coal to produce electricity to charge these batteries. And that's how diesel ended up in the naughty corner. But thankfully BMW didn't get the memo. Because here we are in 2025 and The Citizen Motoring has just spent a week driving the new G45 X3 20d xDrive M Sport. The idea being to figure out if diesel still has a place in a world that wants everything to plug in, light up, and talk back. And I can say without a doubt it absolutely does. The oil-burner offers the best of both worlds. Picture: Supplied Most of this sentiment is because under the bonnet is BMW's long serving, much-loved, tried-and-tested 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel. It is now paired with a 48V mild-hybrid system to help it not only meet emissions regulations, but to also provide a little extra urge when wanted. Talking of which, you have 145kW of power and 400Nm of torque on tap that runs through an eight-speed auto box to the xDrive all-wheel drive set-up. ALSO READ: PODCAST: Why all-new BMW X3 is just what the doctor ordered BMW X3 20d easy on the juice The BMW X3 20d's forte is gobbling up open road kilometres with absolute ease and returning real world fuel consumption figures that easily live around the mid 6-litres per 100 kilometres and offer close on 1 000 kilometres per tank. But it is also rather brisk for what is seen as the baby of the new BMW X3 range. Not that I think this aspect of my review will interest you too much if you are an out and petrolhead as this is more what the X3 M50 is about. But we had this BMW X3 20d at Gerotek and it hit 100km/h in 7.9 seconds, only just off BMW's claim of 7.7-seconds. Top speed is said to be 215km/h and that is more than enough for those long straight roads in the Karoo. If your conscience and wallet will allow you to treat the N1 as the Autobahn that is. ALSO READ: New BMW X3 ticks all the boxes with versatile powertrain line-up Practicality hasn't been forgotten either as you would expect from a mid-size family orientated SUV. There is a decent amount of space for the rear seat passengers, with 570 litres of boot space. This is expandable to 1 700 if you fold the rear seats down. The new BMW X3 20d is a solid choice. Picture: Supplied Making a lot of sense The latest in digital screens and infotainment systems are in use. And the cabin looks and feels as modern as ever without being too complicated or gimmicky. The BMW X3 20d xDrive is probably as flashy in M Sport trim, as it is well-made. Retailing for around R1 175 000, it is not here to compete with the high-end of the Chinese market. But rather be an exceptionally well-priced offering in the premium segment inhabited by Audi and Mercedes-Benz. ALSO READ: Finally priced: BMW puts stickers on all-new generation X3 You won't win any influencer points driving a diesel in 2025. But if you care about range, torque, comfort, and the ability to drive across provinces without needing to charge anything but your smartphone, this BMW X3 still makes a whole lot of sense. BMW X3 20d test results
