Charles Leclerc crashes out of Canada first practice as Max Verstappen sets pace
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.
🔴 RED FLAG 🔴
Leclerc into the barriers. He's okay#F1 #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/Sdll2l0en8
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 13, 2025
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
33 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 Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Jon Rahm left livid at US Open leaderboard slip as fuming ace speaks out on challenging Oakmount terrain
Spaniard Rahm says he was sickened at end of his second round showing in Pennsylvania Fuming Jon Rahm has a head of steam up for the Oakmont weekend after claiming he was too mad and annoyed to think clearly about his slip down the leaderboard. The feisty Spanish star is still in the mix for the US Open title as he sits just seven shots behind midway leader Sam Burns. However, Rahm was unable to put a overall perspective on his position in the tournament when he walked off the course with a second-round 75. He admitted: 'Honestly, I'm too annoyed and too mad right now to think about any perspective. Very frustrated. 'Very few rounds of golf I played in my life where I think I hit good putts and they didn't sniff the hole, so it's frustrating. I didn't play bad. I played quite good and didn't see anything go in beside a seven-footer on the seventh. That's it. 'That's a very hard thing to deal with to try to shoot a score.' Rahm's Ryder Cup colleague and partner Tyrrell Hatton also used the word mad in build-up when he judged segments of the Oakmont challenge and had other descriptions to use as he assessed his position at the halfway point. Speaking to LIV Golf, he said: 'I mean, sometimes it feels like the greens, you have a little bit of an optical illusion, where you expect it to be so fast. 'There's so much break on it, you're putting up the slope and then it's coming with the slope, so you expect it to be really quick. So it's hard to get the line and pace there. 'But the rough is pretty brutal. It almost feels like a penalty shot when you're in it like, which is just how it is this week. 'It's hard to hit the fairways anyway because they're so slopey, and it's unfortunate that even if you land in the fairways here it can run off into the rough. That's one of the challenges I guess.' The conditions have been a challenge over the opening two days, but title contender Bren Griffin is lapping it up as he said: 'Bring it on. I'll play in anything unless it's lightning pretty much or tornados. 'Yeah, rain is tricky. It's just more of an annoyance than anything. 'I think you're managing your umbrella and maybe your rain gear and keeping your clubs dry. 'But from a swing standpoint, I don't mind playing in the rain, and obviously it softens conditions most weeks. 'It'll probably make it maybe slightly easier or maybe we'll have to start thinking about spin control a little bit with the wedges if it really rains. 'I don't really care. I'm down for whatever.'
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.
