- The first practice session in Canada started at 1:30 PM EST in Montreal
- The build-up was marred by chaos, with police reportedly telling fans to stay away
The Canadian Grand Prix weekend got off to a chaotic start on Friday after fans were told practice had been canceled but could go ahead as planned.
The start of proceedings was marred by heavy rain, thunderstorms and hail in Montreal, prompting fans to be told to take shelter and the stands to be evacuated.
Despite no official postponement from the FIA, fans claimed on social media that local police had ordered them to leave the site and that all track activities had been canceled for the day.
In addition, others reported tannoy announcements at train stations around the city that FP1 and FP2 were canceled – despite that not being the case.
Shortly before FP1’s official start time at 1:30 PM EST, Mail Sport spoke to the FIA in Montreal to confirm that all sessions would go ahead as normal, and an official announcement followed.
Heavy rain marred the start of the Canadian Grand Prix weekend in Montreal on Friday
There were no cars on the track and fans had to take shelter before the start of the first practice
The day started with bright sunshine as the drivers arrived at the paddock in Canada
However, this came too late for some, as ‘thousands’ had already returned to the city at the request of the authorities.
While the session started on time and the clock started running, the pit lane remained closed, meaning no cars initially entered the track – much to the frustration of the loyal fans who stayed in position around the track.
When cars finally came out – led by Lewis Hamilton – the session was quickly red-flagged when Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu crashed into the wall.
Then the day started with bright sunshine in Montreal, before the heavens opened and wreaked havoc on the track and surrounding area on Notre Dame Island.
F1 reporter Chris Medland shared a photo of broadcasters covering their equipment from the rain
Stewards worked hard with leaf blowers to clear the track of standing water
The most hardened fans stayed in the stands, but there were no cars for them to watch
Organizers closed the bridges bringing fans to the track and cleared the stands for safety reasons, but made no decision on postponement as forecasts showed clear skies by the scheduled start time.
That proved to be the case, with stewards working hard to clear the track for FP1, while fans were allowed back to their seats before the session started.
In the paddock, broadcasters felt the full force of the weather, with commentary boxes leaking and buckets being handed out to catch the flow of water.
ViaPlay, RDS, Sky Sports and F1 TV were among those affected, with equipment covered to prevent more serious damage.