FP3: Norris sets benchmark in final practice, Leclerc bounces back after write-off Friday
McLaren driver Lando Norris set the benchmark time in the third and final practice session at the Canadian Grand Prix while Ferrari racer Charles Leclerc bounced back after his heavy shunt in FP1 that ruled him out for the rest of the opening day at Montreal.
Following an up-and-down Friday, McLaren driver Lando Norris looked to be more comfortable behind the wheel of his MCL39. The Briton looked strong both on Pirelli's medium in the first half of the one-hour session before setting the benchmark with a time of 1m11.799s on the red-walls C6.
Leclerc had plenty of work to do, having missed missing the majority of Friday running after crashing out at the beginning of the opening practice session.
George Russell set the pace on Friday, and he looked quick again, finishing the third and final practice in third place, ahead of his former team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who appeared to be in a better shape on Day 2 at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Reigning champion Max Verstappen struggled for pace on Friday, but he was quick from the beginning of final practice, having ended up fifith, only three tenths adrift of Norris' benchmark time.
Fernando Alonso delivered an impressive lap in the dying moments of the practice to take sixth on the leaderboard while Andrea Kimi Antonelli was left in P7.
Championship leader Oscar Piastri was only able to place eighth as he looked to struggle to extract the maximum from his MCL39. The Australian had a scary moment when he clipped the wall at the final turn, picking up a puncture.
The Williams duo Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon rounded out the top ten in FP3.
Racing Bulls pair Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson sandwiched Pierre Gasly’s Alpine in positions 11 to 13. Having missed the majority of FP2 after his crash, local driver Lance Stroll took 14th, ahead of Haas pair Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon, and Franco Colapinto, who put together a cleaner final practice session.
Nico Hulkenberg had a scary moment, clipping the walls at the final turn while completing a full spin. However, he was able to continue to rack up mileage in final practice, but his best effort was only enough for P18.
His team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto took 19th for Sauber, with Yuki Tsunoda bringing up the rear after spending most of the session in the Red Bull garage while mechanics worked away on his car.
