Charles Leclerc crashes out of Canada first practice as Max Verstappen sets pace
Charles Leclerc crashed out of opening practice for the Canadian Grand Prix as Max Verstappen set the early pace in Montreal.
Verstappen, who is a point away from a one-race ban following his collision with Mercedes' George Russell at the recent Spanish Grand Prix, ended the session just 0.039 seconds clear of Williams driver Alex Albon.
Carlos Sainz finished third in the other Williams with Russell fourth and Lewis Hamilton fifth. Lando Norris was only seventh while his McLaren team-mate and championship leader Oscar Piastri finished down the order in 14th.
Verstappen, who heads into this weekend's race 49 points behind Piastri in the standings, produced the quickest time in the opening action of the weekend at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve to lay down an early marker.
But Leclerc's preparations for the 10th round of the campaign were dealt a blow when he suffered a heavy accident with just nine laps on the board.
The Monegasque crashed into the barrier on the entry to turn four and sustained significant damage to the left-hand side of his Ferrari. The force of the impact sent him sideways and across the other side of the chicane.
'F***,' said Leclerc on the radio. 'Sorry, I am in the wall. My bad. I should have gone straight but I thought I would make the corner and I hit the wall.'
Leclerc's Ferrari mechanics will now face a race against time to ensure his car is ready for the concluding practice session of the day which begins at 17:00 local time (22:00 BST).
The session was red-flagged for eight minutes as Leclerc's stricken Ferrari was retrieved and repairs to the barriers were completed.
As Verstappen launched his Red Bull to the top of the order, Norris appeared to be struggling with the handling of his McLaren and finished 0.458 seconds behind the Dutchman.
Piastri, who has won five of the nine rounds so far and leads Norris by 10 points, was even further back, one second off Verstappen's pace.
The British team were experimenting with a new front wing and will be expected to improve in the day's second session.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
37 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Christian Horner opens up on Max Verstappen's future at Red Bull amid doubts - and sends warning to star's father Jos after feud
Christian Horner insists he has no fears over Max Verstappen 's commitment to Red Bull despite mounting unease over his future. Verstappen is contracted with Red Bull until 2028 but in April their key advisor Helmut Marko, who is also a mentor to the Dutchman, admitted the team had 'great concerns' over whether he would stay. He will be allowed to leave this summer if he finishes lower than third in the drivers' standings due to a clause in his contract. The four-time champion sits third, 26 points ahead of fourth-placed George Russell, going into Sunday's Canadian GP. Mercedes and McLaren both tried to lure him last year, though Silver Arrows boss Toto Wolff admitted in March that their interest in him had cooled. Verstappen's father Jos had a blazing row with Horner last year, claiming the team would 'explode' if he remained in post after allegations of 'coercive behaviour' towards a female member of staff, and indicating that his son could leave. Horner was cleared after an internal investigation. Given all of this, is Horner not afraid Verstappen could leave? 'No, he has always been loyal to the team and Red Bull in general. We have grown together,'' Horner told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. Verstappen's mentor Helmut Marko said the team had 'great concerns' over his future 'He came here as a teenager and is now a 27-year-old father and four-time world champion. With Max, you know where you stand. I still think he feels very good here. 'For me, relationships are more important than contracts. If you have to point to a contract, it mainly shows that a relationship doesn't work. A contract is something you sign and that contains principles, but then it disappears in a drawer. After that, you only refer to it when you have a problem. There will always be commotion in this paddock around a driver of his stature and talent.' Over Wolff's attempt to woo Verstappen, and McLaren team principal Zak Brown's call to the driver's manager, he said: 'They wouldn't be doing their job properly if they didn't. But that doesn't automatically mean Max will leave. It's just part of Formula 1.' And on his star driver's father Jos, he said: 'I think it's always important to look forward together. Jos is right. I have enormous respect for everything he has done for Max. 'And we must not forget that we have to do it together. This is one of the most competitive sports in the world. We will only succeed in challenging McLaren if we work together as a team,' he warned. Red Bull have been left in the dust this year and sit fourth in the constructors' standings. They have fewer than half the points of dominant party McLaren but closely trail Ferrari and Mercedes. Horner's outfit has had manifold issues with the car this season after legendary designer Adrian Newey walked out to join Aston Martin. And Verstappen's two team-mates, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda, have also been off the pace to contribute to their plummet in the standings. The sport regulation changes will have a huge impact in 2026 and Red Bull are developing their own engine for the first time in collaboration with Ford. In light of that, Horner admitted to De Telegraaf: 'I really believe we will be in a competitive position. But it would be naive and almost disrespectful towards Mercedes, Ferrari and Honda to think that we will set the standard in our first year. 'We have never built an engine and have not driven a lap. But I am confident that we have the right people on board to deliver. It will undoubtedly take time and be a steep learning curve. For the whole team, 2026 will be a reset. It is part of Red Bull's DNA to embrace risks.'
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
F1 star reveals he was BURGLED by thief who 'stole everything' after breaking into his car - and nearly missed the Canadian Grand Prix after passport was nicked
Formula 1 star Gabriel Bortoleto almost missed out this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix after a thief shockingly broke into his car and stole his passport. The Brazilian, who was in Zurich near his Sauber team's headquarters, also had his computer taken while he was eating dinner and was forced to use a different passport and replacement travel documents as he scrambled to get to Montreal on time. The 20-year-old joined Sauber ahead of this season after winning last year's Formula 2 title and is yet to earn a point in his maiden season in the F1 circuit. A 12th place finish in the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona represented his best result so far. And his preparations for the Canadian Grand Prix were dealt a heavy blow as he looks to improve on a challenging campaign, with the thiefs causing 'chaos'. 'I had gone to dinner one day in Switzerland and they ended up opening the car and taking my backpack,' the Sauber driver told Brazilian media. 'I had my passports, everything inside, my computer, all my running gear. 'It was chaos, but we managed to find the guy. 'Everything worked out in the end, I have my passports. We didn't find everything, but we did find some things.' Bortoleto is the 14th highest paid driver, earning around £1.5m a year. The F1 rookie, who replaced former Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas this season, is not the first star to be targeted by thieves. Two years ago, then-Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz chased down thieves and retrieved his £500,000 watch just hours after competing in the Italian Grand Prix in Milan. While Bortoleto is still looking to pick up his first point of the season, team-mate Nico Hulkenburg sits in 11th on 16. Despite Sauber's car being one of the slowest on the grid, the German impressively raced to a fifth-place finish in Spain. Much attention will be fixed of Max Verstappen as the F1 season continues at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal this weekend. The Red Bull driver is in third place but is a single error away from a race ban after his shocking collision with George Russell in Spain. Meanwhile, Brit Lando Norris will be aiming to return to the top of the leaderboard by besting McLaren team-mate and championship rival Oscar Piastri.
Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
F1 steward SUSPENDED from Canadian GP over ‘unauthorised media comments' after remarks about Hamilton and Verstappen
The F1 steward "acknowledged his comments were ill-advised." BANNED F1 steward SUSPENDED from Canadian GP over 'unauthorised media comments' after remarks about Hamilton and Verstappen FORMULA ONE steward Derek Warwick has been suspended from this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix. That is after "recent unauthorised media comments" Warwick allegedly made. 1 Formula One steward Derek Warwick has been suspended from the Canadian Grand Prix THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY.. The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunFootball.
