Verstappen untouchable in soaked F1 final practice of Canada GP

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen topped the timing sheets as the pack ventured out for wet weather running as Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz crashed out.

Ahead of qualifying, the final practice session was impacted by a recent downpour which left the track in a very wet condition. This meant the drivers, and the teams, were forced to venture out on the new wet weather tyres. 

The brand-new construction of the wet weather tyre was introduced this season and showcased the fact these new tyres do not need to use tyre blankets. 

Track conditions began to improve through the session which saw several drivers swap over from the extreme wet weather tyres to the green-ringed intermediates. 

While a large chunk of the final practice was run on the inters, the rain reappeared in the final moments and completely drenched the circuit. It meant the session ended with a lack of action out on track as the drivers retreated to their respective garages. 

How final practice unfolded…

Although Verstappen complained about problems with his dominant RB19 regarding its downshifts, the Dutchman topped the timing boards with the fastest lap. As conditions improved, no one could touch the reigning world champion’s lap time as he finished three-tenths ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. 

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso rounded out the top three. The Spaniard was one of the first drivers to test conditions on the intermediates early on and reaped the rewards. However, the two-time world champion had to settle for third-fastest by the time the chequered flag fell. 

Haas’ Kevin Magnussen and Sainz rounded out the top five, in fourth and fifth respectively, although the Ferrari driver crashed out at the halfway point.

Mid-way through the session, Sainz saw his final practice session come to an end prematurely as he locked up into the opening corner and slammed his nose first into the barrier. This was quickly followed by his rear wing which has now raised concerns that the Spanish driver will now require a new gearbox. 

However, Sainz was noted by the stewards for impeding as the Spanish driver found himself in the way of Williams’ Alexander Albon twice, through final practice, while the London-born Thai driver was on a hot lap.

Pierre Gasly (Alpine), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri), Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) rounded out the top 10, in order. 

Although Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg traded the fastest lap times with the Ferrari of Leclerc, the German driver could only best 11th fastest as the session drew to a close, ahead of the McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri (12th) and Lando Norris (13th). 

Albon and Mercedes George Russell finished the session, ahead of qualifying in 14th and 15th respectively, ahead of Nyck De Vries in 16th. 

Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Perez, struggled to put in a decent lap time and finished 17th ahead of Guanyu Zhou (18th), Esteban Ocon (19th) and Logan Sargeant (20th) who rounded out the bottom three respectively.

That’s all for the article: Verstappen untouchable in soaked F1 final practice of Canada GP!

Read more Formula 1 here:

• Bottas quickest in Canada GP FP1 as CCTV problems cut session short
• James Key to join Alfa Romeo F1 as Technical Director
• Spanish GP: Verstappen dominates race to secure 40th F1 win
• Gasly slapped with six-place grid drop for Spanish GP
• Spanish GP: Verstappen on pole as Gasly and Russell go to stewards
• Spanish GP: Verstappen fastest in FP2 one-tenth ahead of Alonso

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Kamron Kent

Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.

I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

Kamron Kent

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.