Norris tops final Canadian GP practice as Piastri struggles again
DPA
Berlin
Lando Norris of McLaren topped the final practice for the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix on Saturday, while team-mate and championship leader Oscar Piastri continued to struggle.
Norris clocked 1 minute 11.799 seconds to beat the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc by mere 0.078s. George Russell of Mercedes completed the top three.
Leclerc had a much better day following a catastrophic Friday, in which he missed second practice due to damage to his car caused by a crash in the first session.
Lewis Hamilton in the other Ferrari was fourth, while four-time defending champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull was fifth.
Piastri was only eighth, 0.720s behind Norris, after he clipped the wall with his right rear and caused a short red flag period. He crawled back to the pits but left lots of debris behind.
The championship leader has failed to be among the top three so far in Canada. His best result was a sixth place in second practice.
Qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix is later on Saturday. Ahead of the race, Piastri tops the drivers' championship standings 10 points ahead of Norris.
Verstappen needs to be on his best behaviour for the next two races after he was hit with three penalty points on his license at the Spanish Grand Prix on June 1, which leaves him just one point away from a race ban.
Two of his penalty points will expire on June 30, moving him three points away from a race ban in time for the British Grand Prix on July 6.
The Dutchman was punished for causing a collision with Russell and he was also handed a 10-second penalty in the race.
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