Canadian GP Practice One: Lewis Hamilton sets the pace but Fernando Alonso breaks down again
Hamilton 0.2s clear of Vettel as Mercedes top timesheets; Alonso's session ended thanks to McLaren hydraulic failure ; No time set for Sainz after engine failure on installation lap; Red Bull struggle
Saturday 10 June 2017 17:52, UK
Lewis Hamilton led a Mercedes resurgence in first practice for the Canadian GP by out-pacing both Ferraris to top the timesheets.
It was an encouraging start to the weekend for Mercedes - who have openly admitted that the Scuderia are now the favourites in 2017 - with Hamilton's 1:13.809 enough to put him two tenths clear of championship leader Sebastian Vettel in second.
The title rivals were followed by respective team-mates Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen, with Mercedes and Ferrari once again some way clear of the rest of the field.
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"It's a happy Mercedes garage," reported Sky F1's Ted Kravitz. "They know they are in the game at least."
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Leading that chasing pack, somewhat surprisingly, were Force India's Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon - with Max Verstappen the fastest Red Bull in seventh, more than a second off the pace set by Hamilton.
But it was another session marred by reliability woes for McLaren-Honda, with Fernando Alonso's return to Formula 1 following the Indianapolis 500 off to a frustrating and all too familiar start. The Spaniard was 14th when his MCL32 ground to a halt, with the team confirming a loss of hydraulic pressure was the cause.
"The gearbox was doing strange things," Alonso, who has set McLaren a win-by-September ultimatum to secure his future, told Sky F1's Rachel Brookes. "We're used to it. It's difficult to switch back from IndyCar to here so the first laps I was just trying to get a feel."
Alonso wasn't the only driver whose start to the weekend was cut short by a car, with Carlos Sainz's session ended on his very first installation lap after an engine failure in his Toro Rosso.
Elsewhere, several drivers struggled for grip on a cool and dusty track in the first half of Practice One, with Hamilton, Vettel and Raikkonen all spinning off the Circuit de Canada.
But it was Hamilton who recovered fastest to set the pace on the ultrasoft tyre - with the Briton the only driver into the 1:13s - though his benchmark is expected to be heavily improved upon throughout the weekend as the temperature rises.
Still, after a Monaco GP in which Mercedes couldn't even get onto the podium, this was the ideal start to the weekend for both the world champions and Hamilton.
Can Mercedes hit back in the 2017 title fight with Ferrari? Don't miss the Canadian GP live only on Sky Sports F1 this weekend. The race starts at 7pm on Sunday. Watch the race for £6.99 on NOW TV
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