The first two practice sessions for the 2024 Canadian GP were a tough prospect to master for the drivers. Throughout the day, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve witnessed incessant rain showers and hail storms. This made the already resurfaced tarmac of the street circuit even more daunting for the drivers to navigate.
Naturally, due to the wet weather conditions on track, the only reasonable choice of tires for all drivers were the green-walled intermediate tires or the blue-walled full wets. That being said, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was caught in violation of the Sporting Regulations for making the same choice as other drivers.
The only problem in the #16 driver’s case was the fact that he had not waited for the FIA to declare the track as “Wet”. As per the 2024 FIA Sporting Regulations, Article 30.5.L, teams can use intermediate or wet tires only after the Race Director declares the track as wet. However, the Monegasque ventured onto the track with intermediate tires at the start of FP2 before such a declaration came from the FIA.
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Once caught, Leclerc’s case went to the Stewards. According to the official statement by the Governing Body of the sport, the #16 driver was indeed in violation of the Sporting Regulations.
In the end, however, Ferrari got a 5,000 euros ($5,400 approx.) fine and the Stewards let off Leclerc instead. While the ramifications of this are negligible, the fine clearly shows that such a blunder was avoidable by the Ferrari strategists.
Weather forecast has billed the 2024 Canadian GP up as a blockbuster
The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has been host to many dramatically classic Grands Prix in the past. According to the weather prediction for this race weekend, rain is forecasted to be prevalent throughout the three days.
The FP1 and FP2 running already has thrown some surprises into the mix. At the end of FP2, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso topped the timing sheets. His teammate, Lance Stroll kept pace and put his AMR24 in P3. This was ahead of both the Ferraris – who are the favorites going into the Qualifying session later today.
Alonso went fastest in second Canadian GP practice before the rain hit the track again. #F1
Full report and results. https://t.co/TOZOLvxrDL
— Motorsport.com (@Motorsport) June 7, 2024
Analysts and pundits have been predicting a stellar race for Lewis Hamilton, too. The wet weather seems to have neutralized the field and Hamilton’s excellent track record at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has touted him to seek more performance out of the upgraded W15. The Briton grabbed his maiden pole and F1 win at the track back in 2007, and certainly loves driving here.
On the other hand, it seems to be two tough weekends in a row for Max Verstappen. After the disappointment of the Monaco GP, it seems as though the Montreal track is bringing out the worst of the RB20 once again. The Dutchman predicted this even before the weekend began. He ended up fifth in FP1 and eighteenth in FP2 due to a power unit issue.
