Lando Norris Shines Again as Three Crash at Wall of Champions

Lando Norris delivered an impressive recovery in the final practice ahead of qualifying at the Canadian Grand Prix, turning around what he described as McLaren’s slowest Friday of the year. Norris set the fastest lap at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, timing 1:11.799.

He narrowly edged out Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, who posted a lap just 0.078 seconds slower after missing most of Friday’s running due to an early crash in the first practice session. The session saw a tight pack at the front, with Mercedes’ George Russell, Lewis Hamilton in his Ferrari, and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen all within close range of the leading time.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was one of three drivers to make contact with the famed Wall of Champions.

Piastri struck the wall with his right-rear wheel, causing an immediate puncture and raising concerns about possible suspension damage as he limped his car back to the pits. Shortly after, Nico Hulkenberg in the Stake F1 car spun out of the chicane and brushed the rear wing of his car against the same wall, escaping what could have been a more significant crash by just centimeters.

Bits of debris scattered across the circuit prompted race officials to halt the session for five minutes to clear the track for safe running. Oliver Bearman, representing Haas, also had a close encounter with the wall.

He made heavier contact with his right-rear wheel but, unlike Piastri, he was able to keep his car going without major incident. The session itself began slowly, with no cars on track for four minutes.

Williams’ Franco Colapinto, who had finished Friday at the bottom of the timesheets, was first to set a time at 1:15.366 on the soft tires. Leclerc soon emerged after necessary repairs to his Ferrari, immediately putting in a quick lap of 1:14.104.

Yet it was Fernando Alonso with Aston Martin who briefly took the lead with a 1:13.050. Leclerc quickly reclaimed the top spot with a 1:12.843, this time on medium tires, as teams experimented with different strategies. Leclerc’s quick return and strong performance hinted at his Ferrari plan B coming into play.

This season’s softest tire compound, the C6, made its debut at this event, and teams alternated between soft and medium rubber throughout the first half of the session. Russell led Friday’s practice on the medium tire, and he continued to be competitive, narrowly outpacing Norris before Lewis Hamilton joined the fray with a 1:12.279.

Russell then became the first to dip under the 1:12 barrier with a 1:11.950 on softs. After the red flag, Norris responded with his best effort on the medium tires, giving him a commanding lead for several minutes.

Hamilton and Russell kept pressure on, while Piastri recovered from his earlier incident to post a strong lap, moving into the top five with a time of 1:12.519. With just over ten minutes remaining, Norris solidified his place at the top.

That held until Leclerc broke up the all-British trio with his last-minute lap. Verstappen finished 0.273 seconds behind, with Alonso, rookie Kimi Antonelli in his Mercedes, and Piastri rounding out the top group.

Williams teammates Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon followed, with Albon trailing the top time by 0.774 seconds. It was a frustrating session for Yuki Tsunoda in the second Red Bull, who struggled with brakes and sat in the garage for most of the hour. Sainz’s own struggles this season have echoed throughout the paddock, as documented in his recent F1 Monaco fears.

He returned with seven minutes left but ended up last, 1.774 seconds off the pace. As qualifying looms, teams are working to fine-tune their setups after an eventful practice.

With multiple drivers already testing the limits at the Wall of Champions, Saturday’s qualifying promises more surprises as the stakes rise at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.