Friday’s Practice was difficult for everyone in Canada, with wet conditions preventing any significant dry running. Max Verstappen had a worse day than most, though, hardly completing any laps in his RB20. A power unit issue forced him into the pits, giving the Dutchman hardly any data to analyse ahead on day one.
Of course, the rain at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve complicates things for everyone. However, since yesterday’s conditions could be similar to those in qualifying and race day, FP2 was still a productive session for the drivers and teams.
Ferrari were relatively happy with their first day, as drivers reported positive feedback in the wet and dry. Set-up work carried out last night will inevitably carry over into the next two days.
Even in normal conditions, this circuit is not well-suited to the RB20. With such limited running, Max Verstappen faces an even greater uphill battle over the next few days.
VERSTAPPEN: RED BULL YET TO DIAGNOSE RELIABILITY ISSUE
Speaking after his session came to a premature end, the Dutchman admitted the root causeias unknown:
“There was a suspected electrical issue, so they told me to box, and they’re investigating now. I haven’t been back in the garage yet, but I’m sure soon we’ll figure out what it is.
“It’s not ideal. I would have liked to drive more laps. Some other people had a few more laps in the dry, a few more laps now in the wet.
“It’s definitely not how I would have liked to get on in FP2, but I think it’s more important to just figure out what actually happened and what kind of implications that will have for this weekend or the rest of the year.”
Teams usually have a separate engine for Friday Practice, so even if there is an issue, it should not result in an immediate grid drop.
However, if the power unit is beyond repair, it will inevitably have implications later in the season. Reliability is at an increasingly impressive level in F1, so any unforced errors in this department are particularly costly.
For the team based in Milton Keynes, this weekend will be important to try and steady the ship and prevent Ferrari and McLaren from further closing the gap.
