Norris fastest as Piastri hits wall, Ferrari show promise ahead of 9pm qualifying

14 hours ago 1

Lando Norris just set the pace from Charles Leclerc and George Russell at the top of the timesheet as McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri hit the wall in final practice at the Canadian Grand Prix.

In the final session ahead of qualifying at 9pm - live on Sky Sports F1 - championship leaders McLaren set the pace for the first time this weekend after what Norris had described as their "worst" Friday of the season.

Norris' late-session time on the soft tyres of 1:11.799 proved to be the session's quickest, although McLaren's rivals remained close behind.

A late lap on used soft tyres from Charles Leclerc saw the Ferrari driver finish within a tenth of the lead McLaren, just ahead of Friday pacesetter Russell in the Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton in the other Ferrari after an improved session for the seven-time champion.

Max Verstappen was fifth but 0.273s back on Norris, with Piastri an unusually-massive 0.7s adrift in eighth, behind Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso and Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli.

McLaren driver Lando Norris

Image: McLaren driver Lando Norris was quickest in final practice

Title leader Piastri has made minimal errors so far this season but goes into qualifying on the back of one here after tagging the Wall of Champions early on in final practice after an error into the final chicane.

The impact at the McLaren's right-rear punctured its tyre, and seemingly caused further bodywork damage around the rear suspension too, although Piastri ultimately lost just eight minutes of track time after a slow crawl back to the pit lane for checks and repairs.

Montreal's infamous final turn also caught out Nico Hulkenberg, who brushed the barrier after a 360-degree spin in his Sauber, before Haas' Oliver Berarman made rather heavier impact with his car's right-rear tyre against the tyre barrier on exit.

Yuki Tsunoda was slowest of all in the second Red Bull after completing just 13 laps due to apparent brake issues and is also under a post-race investigation for a red flag infringement when the session was briefly stopped for Piastri's incident.

More to follow…

Sky Sports F1's Canadian GP schedule

Saturday June 14
7.30pm: F1 Academy Race Two
8.30pm: Canadian GP Qualifying build-up
9pm: CANADIAN GP QUALIFYING
11pm: Ted's Qualifying Notebook

Sunday June 15
3.50pm: F1 Academy Race Three
5.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Canadian GP build-up*
7pm: THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX*
9pm: Chequered Flag: Canadian GP reaction
10pm: Ted's Notebook

*also on Sky Sports Main Event

The 2025 Formula 1 season resumes live on Sky Sports F1 with the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime.

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