F1 'invent' NEW sport at Canadian Grand Prix

George Russell, Canadian Grand Prix, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

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F1 'invent' NEW sport at Canadian Grand Prix

Practice at the Canadian Grand Prix saw a unique new activity

Rhys Thomas

Sunday 9 June 2024 16:57

Formula 1 have claimed to have invented a new type of sport at the Canadian Grand Prix as wet weather impacted the weekend.

F1 returned to North America for the second time this season, after Lando Norris took his maiden win in Miami in May.

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Whilst the Miami circuit is in its infancy on the calendar, Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, named after the former Ferrari driver and six-time race winner who died after an accident in 1982, has now hosted 43 F1 grand prix weekends.

The circuit has been known for its changeable weather, which produced one of the most famous races of all time in 2011 and a chaotic qualifying session in 2023, and the rain has returned in 2024 too.

Wet weather is often a factor at the Canadian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton had to battle wet weather in Friday practice

Will rain affect the Canadian Grand Prix?

Both practice sessions on Friday saw wet conditions, with drivers struggling to adapt to the slippery surface, exacerbated by the fact that the track was entirely re-laid over the winter.

It has been a mostly dry season so far, so it was also one of the first times the drivers had encountered a wet track in their 2024 cars.

In FP1 on Friday, as drivers attempted to navigate a drying track on the soft and medium tyres, some were in for a shock when they took a trip onto the grass after sliding off at turn eight.

"We *might* have invented a new game during F1," Formula 1 posted on X alongside a compilation of cars careering into a puddle on the grass and sending water in all directions, including into the cockpits.

In a light-hearted comparison with the points awarded in diving competitions, Daniel Ricciardo won top score from the 'judges' with his dramatic-looking trip into the water earning him a 9.1/10.

Logan Sargeant received a mark of 0/10 as he managed to avoid the grass and use the escape road.

Valtteri Bottas' pirouette through the run-off earned him 8.8, whilst Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll could only muster 7.1 and 6.8 respectively.

The rain largely stayed away during qualifying, but is expected to be back with a vengeance come race day on Sunday.