For the first time since 2019, Formula 1 fans resumed their right to the Gilles Villeneuve circuit on Friday afternoon in anticipation of the Canadian Grand Prix.

Japan’s Yuki Tsunoda was the first to storm the Ile-Notre Dame road to cheers from crowds in the stands where the credit is due.

If the AlphaTauri captain was able to enjoy a rare moment of glory when he left the pits, key periods made him ask fairly quickly.

A few hours earlier at Red Bull Max Verstappen was still ahead of the group until the end of the second private practice session.

The Dutchman, who leads the drivers’ standings after the first eight stages of the 2022 season, covered the circuit in one minute 14.127 seconds to defeat Charles Leclerc by 81 milliseconds.

Leclerc demoted

If Monaco can score the best time in qualifying for the fifth consecutive Grand Prix on Saturday, they can start only in the top 11^e Put on when the red lights go out on Sunday.

After his engine malfunctioned last week in Azerbaijan, mechanics had no choice but to replace several power unit components of his single-seater. According to the regulations, ten places on the grid will be penalized.

Leclerc’s teammate at Ferrari, Carlos Sainz Jr, still chasing his first victory in Formula One, came third.

Stroll ranked 12^e

Fourth in the table, Sebastian Vettel created some surprise when he took his Aston Martin to fourth. His partner, Quebecer Lance Stroll, couldn’t do better than the 12^e Site.

He was followed by Fernando Alonso (Albin), Pierre Gasly (Alvatore), George Russell (Mercedes), Lando Norris (McLaren), Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) and Esteban Ocon (Albin).

Less than a second separates the top ten drivers on the board.

A disappointment for Sergio Perez only 11^e Behind the wheel of Red Bull II. However, he qualified for the first day’s results, because the strategies (onboard fuel and settings) differ from one driver to the next.

This car is indestructible.

The chances of seeing Lewis Hamilton take his eighth win in Montreal, a feat no other driver has achieved in history, are unlikely.

The seven-time world champion only reached thirteenth place^e Fastest time in the second training session and his frustration on the radio waves did not hide.

“This car is indestructible,” he shouted to his engineer.

Last week, in Baku, the Briton finished fourth, not without suffering behind the wheel of his Mercedes. We saw him take several seconds before he got out of his car complaining of severe back pain.

cold and rainy

Although the two free practice sessions took place in dry conditions, the torrential rain fell a few minutes into the F1 race at the end of the afternoon.

It is clear that bad weather will continue in the area for most of Saturdays. The temperature is also expected to be cooler.

Tomorrow could be fun with the rain going down, Stroll said. It is always different in such circumstances. But that doesn’t mean it will be easy. »

Another Canadian, Nicholas Latifi’s name, appeared again at the bottom of the pack on 19^e Rank. If not the latter, it is because Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) was unable to complete a flight lap, following mechanical issues.