Lewis Hamilton set the pace in final practice for the Canadian Grand Prix, leading Max Verstappen by nearly 0.4s as teams finally got significant dry running. After the rain-affected two sessions on Friday, there was a threat of rain and gusty winds for the drivers to deal with Saturday, as well as a low-grip track, but the entire session could take place on slicks ahead of qualifying.
Hamilton set the pace with a 1m12.549s, leading Verstappen by 0.374s as Mercedes enjoyed a strong start to Saturday with George Russell just 0.
034s further back in third. Verstappen’s time did also come after he touched the concrete at the Wall of Champions finishing his lap, as he didn’t look completely comfortable after missing much of FP2 with an ERS issue. The initial stages of the session already saw Verstappen having to catch a snap of oversteer at the final chicane — taking to the run-off as a result — and complain about the steering feeling “super weird for me” so far during the weekend, before Zhou Guanyu brought out another red flag.
The Stake driver understeered into the wall at Turn 5 on Friday, and on this occasion he lost the rear in odd fashion exiting Turn 1, in a spin he said was caused by the rears unexpectedly locking. The car went backwards into the barrier and appeared to have damaged the rear wing, but potentially have been drivable back to the pits. Unfortunately the car was beached on uneven grass and the rear wheels spun in the air, forcing him to climb out.
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