F1 Canadian Grand Prix: CCTV issue stops first practice

MONTREAL – A bizarre CCTV issue curtailed the first practice session for the Canadian Grand Prix on Friday.

Fans were left sat in the grandstands at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve as F1 teams and drivers watched on waiting for the issue to be fixed.

The cameras were not synced correctly to what was happening on track, which was deemed to be a safety risk as they help marshals know what is taking place when sessions are live.

Race control appeared to be alerted to the issue four minutes into the hour-long session when Pierre Gasly’s Alpine slowed coming out of Turn 7.

Marshals joined the circuit and recovering the vehicle appeared to be slow, suggesting there was uncertainty at where other cars were on the race track.

After Gasly’s car was pushed off the race track the session did not immediately restart and the FIA then sent an update out about the camera issue.

To make up for the lost time, the FIA has extended Friday’s second session by 30 minutes.

Teams will hope that the rain that has been forecast all week for Friday holds off, as that could further limit the data they are able to gather ahead of the weekend.