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Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton topped the timesheets across all three practice sessions at the Canadian Grand Prix, laying down a dominant marker at the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit as Charles Leclerc struggled with reliability issues. George Russell continued Mercedes' resurgence by finishing second overall in final practice, while reigning world champion Lando Norris concentrated on race runs and managed only the eighth-fastest time after topping FP1.
Max Verstappen did not run during the final session due to a cooling issue on his Red Bull, compounding concerns for the championship leader heading into qualifying.
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Hamilton comfortably ahead for Ferrari
Hamilton continued his knockout form from Friday afternoon, setting a 1:12.549 in FP3 to finish two-tenths clear of Zandvoort winner Russell. The benchmark was set on medium compound tyres, reinforcing Ferrari’s strong single-lap pace around the tricky Montreal circuit.
"I hate to admit, but I completely forgot how good it is to drive a Formula 1 car at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve," Hamilton said after Friday running. "It is one of the so-called 'easier' circuits to learn, but we should never underestimate it. It is also super cool to watch the Grand Prix from the water! And in terms of racing, we had some great sessions, even if we had some things to iron out."
Teammate Charles Leclerc barely ran in the final session after suffering an loose wheel, cutting short his preparation for what promises to be a tight qualifying battle.
McLaren and Red Bull face hurdles
Norris led the field in the opening session of the weekend but slipped down the order in FP3 as McLaren prioritised high-fuel race simulations. The British driver ended the morning eighth quickest, though his long-run pace suggests McLaren could be well-placed on Sunday.
"I mean, the session was good still though," Norris reflected. "I think we made a lot of progress yesterday as a team, so to be able to carry that on today was very good. We are not miles away from Ferrari. In fact, we may even be closer to them."
Verstappen's Friday was cut short with a cooling system problem detected after his installation lap in FP3. The Dutchman ended the day 19th in the classification as his engineers worked frantically to diagnose the issue before qualifying.
"It is a bit strange that something like that happens, but of course, it is not the first time," Verstappen noted. "The guys will fix it, I guess."
Alexander Albon staked his claim as best of the rest by taking third for Williams, ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the leading Ferrari. The Grove squad looks to be carrying genuine pace into the weekend.
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Full Canada GP FP3 results
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time | |---|---|---|---| | 1 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:12.549 | | 2 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.239s | | 3 | Alexander Albon | Williams | +0.322s | | 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.351s | | 5 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +0.425s | | 6 | Liam Lawson | Red Bull | +0.452s | | 7 | Franco Colapinto | Williams | +0.483s | | 8 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.514s | | 9 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | +0.572s | | 10 | Carlos Sainz | Aston Martin | +0.623s | | 11 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.694s | | 12 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +0.778s | | 13 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.821s | | 14 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +0.885s | | 15 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | +0.921s | | 16 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | +0.987s | | 17 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +1.012s | | 18 | Fernando Alonso | Cadillac | +1.123s | | 19 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +1.234s | | 20 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | +1.345s |
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