The announcement of measures against the jumping of the racing cars did not initially affect the balance of power in Formula 1. World champion and world championship leader Max Verstappen set the best time in the first free practice session for the Canadian Grand Prix – mostly followed by old acquaintances.
Red Bull star Verstappen was unbeatable in 1:15.158 minutes. Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz finished second, 0.246 seconds behind, Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Pérez was fourth (+0.461) ahead of Ferrari hopeful Charles Leclerc (+0.508). In between, the Spanish ex-world champion Fernando Alonso pushed in Alpine (+0.373).
Among other things, Sainz, who almost ran over one of the marmots living on the Ile Notre-Dame, showed what is known as porpoising or bouncing on high-speed passages, which the World Automobile Association FIA wants to gradually curb with a technical directive.
Mercedes lined up with George Russell (+0.664) and record world champion Lewis Hamilton (+0.719) in sixth and eighth place. Sebastian Vettel came ninth in the Aston Martin (+0.883), Haas driver Mick Schumacher finished 18th (+.2065) on his Montreal debut.
Specifically, the FIA wants to check the floor panels of the vehicles even more closely for wear, among other things. In addition, an index is to be established which “is based on the vertical acceleration of the vehicle and represents a quantitative limit for the acceptable level of vertical vibration”.
Mixed reactions in the paddock
An exact formula is still being worked out. For this purpose, data was first collected on Friday, but some teams fine-tuned their vehicle settings. Hamilton, for example, tested a hole in the underbody of his Mercedes. “We have to understand what the FIA want to monitor and investigate,” said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner on “Sky”.
The drivers reacted mixed to the package of measures. The bank praised the improvement in safety and consideration for health. Verstappen, among others, criticized: “It doesn’t matter if it helps or hurts us: I don’t think that rule changes in the season are correct.”
Red Bull is the team of the hour. The racing team has won all of the past five races, with Verstappen and Perez scoring 210 out of a possible 220 points. In the World Championship, Verstappen converted a 46-point deficit to Leclerc, who retired twice during this period due to engine damage, into a cushion of 34 points, with which he will start the ninth round of the season (Sunday, 20:00 CEST).