Lando Norris highlighted how the looming weather forecast for the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix could make drivers’ lives “insanely tricky”.
The race weekend at Montreal has so far served up a pretty tantalising prospect for the fate of the championship.
The gloves are finally off at Mercedes, and George Russell, after winning the Sprint race, has once again slotted himself on pole for the 70-lap race, with his team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli rounding the front-row off.
But the threat of rain, looming over the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, now at around 40%, is tipped to throw a spanner into the works for the drivers, on Sunday afternoon.
Norris, who put up a valiant bid for the Sprint race win on Saturday, is slated to start behind the Mercedes duo.
That said, the prospect of driving in the rain for the first-time ever with these new 2026 cars is something that has the Briton recalculating his approach.
“I have no idea. We’ve never driven in the rain,” he told media including Motorsport Week when asked about the weather report for the race on Sunday.
“I don’t think anyone knows how difficult it’s going to be to drive these cars around. Not bad, just how difficult it’s going to be.”
Lando Norris “very excited” to see how “insanely tricky” F1 Canadian GP could pan out for him
The ambient and track temperatures throughout the weekend so far has made tyre preparation and preservation key to a good result.
Norris highlighted how even under ideal track conditions, getting the softest rubber up to temperature has been a task.
Naturally, he predicts a torrid and tricky afternoon of driving if the weather is also slotted into this equation.
“I mean, it is our job, so I think the expectation obviously should be there, but I think it could be an insanely tricky race,” Norris added.
“I mean, it’s difficult enough to get temperature into a soft tyre, let alone when it’s 10 degrees colder tomorrow and we’re going to have inters and wets on the car.
“So yeah, excited. Very, very excited to see how it’s going to pan out.”
With the Mercedes driver eager to take points off of each other in the championship race, can Norris be at the right place at the right time to secure his first win of the season, on Sunday?
READ MORE – What F1 ‘strength’ Lando Norris’ has over Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen
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