Formula 1 2013 Canadian Grand Prix – Sebastian Vettel Finally Masters Montreal
Practice No one team particularly led the practice sessions, which were dominated by the weather. FP1 and FP3 were wet, though FP2 remained dry. FP3 was also shortened to just 30 minutes due to delays caused by repairs to the crash barrier, due to an accident in a support race. Conditions were cool, with the temperature only around 15c, but very high humidity, up to around 90%. The changing conditions meant there was limited running on Pirellis developmental tyre, hampering the data collected from it, and the sessions in general for the teams. The sharp end was still made up of the usual suspects however, though there were a few surprises as everyone got to grips with the slippery track. Ferrari looked much stronger here, with their race pace looking particularly promising. The drivers split strategies to test different things, running new aerodynamic parts and both were happy with the car in general. Mercedes had a solid practice, and both drivers were comfortably near the top of the timesheets, though they were slightly concerned for their long run pace compared to their rivals. Lotus didnt have the best time, with both drivers struggling to get the tyres up to temperatures in their gentle machines and not finding quite the race pace they hoped for. Raikkonen developed a rear brake issue towards the end of FP2, though this was resolved for Saturday. Red Bull kept their heads down and got on with things on Friday, leaving others to top the lap times as they got to grips with the green track, however Webber set the fastest time in the truncated FP3, with Vettel fifth, showing they had been quietly disguising their pace. Force India continued to show strongly, setting the fastest time in FP1 with Di Resta, second fastest time in FP3, and generally looking composed. Both drivers were pleased with the car in both wet and dry conditions, though an electrical issue hampered Di Restas long run programme on Friday. McLaren looked more in touch with the front-runners than they had in previous races, with Jenson Button going second in FP1 in the changing conditions, though Perez took a few trips across the grass. A gearbox problem hampered Buttons afternoon runs and generally the team didnt get all the data they wanted due to the weather, leaving them hoping for further rain ahead. Torro Rosso had a strong practice and showed good pace in the wet conditions, with both drivers happy with the handling of the car. Ricciardo put them comfortably in the midfield pack and they looked comfortable in the difficult conditions. Sauber had a difficult time, languishing at the bottom of the timesheets with both drivers struggling for set up and outright pace. Hulkenberg was particularly dispirited with his car, and they had a lot of work to do ahead of qualifying. Williams were generally pleased with their programme as they tested out a new front wing design, though they were unsure quite what their relative pace. Maldonado hit the wall head on at the end of FP1 and damaged the nose, but overall both drivers looked fairly sharp in the changing track conditions. Marussia had mixed results, as in FP1 Bianchi went down the escape road at turn three and then broke the gearbox trying to turn it round. Overall both drivers enjoyed their first taste of the track, and seemed quite comfortable with the car, though the weather meant they couldnt test all their new parts for this race. Caterham took a little while to dial their car into the circuit, but once they did both drivers were happy with the results and felt they could push, achieving solid long run pace.