Sebastian Vettel set the fastest overall time in Friday’s practice sessions for Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix to provide another stark reminder of Red Bull’s early domination of the Formula One season.
As all the teams, including Red Bull and their main rivals McLaren, struggled for grip on a Montreal street circuit described by some drivers as an “ice rink”, Vettel kept his cool to set the pace by lapping the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in one minute 16.877 seconds.
Spain’s Fernando Alonso, who won the opening race of the season but has had just one podium finish since, was second overall in his Ferrari, 0.086 seconds behind Vettel, despite several off-road adventures, with Germany’s Nico Rosberg a close third in a Mercedes.
Vettel’s Australian team mate and championship leader Mark Webber was fourth, erasing any concerns that Red Bull might struggle on a track considered unsuited to their cars.
“It was a pretty good day, we were pleasantly surprised with the pace,” Webber said.