FP1: Verstappen on top as F1 action returns to Canada

Max Verstappen picked up where he left off in Baku by topping the opening practice session of the Canadian Grand Prix.

A 1:15.1 from Verstappen on the C5 soft tyre put him atop the pile come the opening hour of practice at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Formula 1 returning to Montreal after a two-season absence.

Ferrari have work to do as Carlos Sainz trailed the Dutchman by 0.25s despite a P2 finish, while Fernando Alonso was a surprise entrant into the top three on the medium compound tyre.

It was only P5 for Charles Leclerc, but crucially he has not taken a new turbo for the weekend, meaning he is set to avoid a grid penalty.

After heavy rainfall had greeted the teams and drivers on Thursday, dry conditions reigned as on-track action returned to Montreal for the first time since 2019.

Rain is never far away though here, so with a black cloud in the vicinity, there was no time to waste in heading out onto the track.

A 1:19:7 from Sainz on the medium C4 tyre proved the early benchmark, but Verstappen soon took us into the 1:15s on that same compound, all while George Russell reported that it was a very windy day in Montreal.

Alex Albon was first to be caught out at that dreaded final chicane, misjudging Turn 12 and wisely bailing out of the second part, knowing that it is never wise to head towards the ‘Wall of Champions’ out of shape.

As the session approached the 15-minute mark, Sergio Perez decided he wanted to be the Red Bull in P1, Esteban Ocon meanwhile slowed with his front-right brake smoking. “Failure, failure, failure, it’s the front right, lots of smoke,” the Frenchman reported as Alpine called him into the pits.

Of all things, it looked like a piece of kitchen roll or something of the likes had become lodged