Practice-
Red Bull Racing;s Alisha Palmowski made the most of her first appearance at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, topping Round 4’s one and only Free Practice session with a 1:38.898.
Campos Racing kept a firm hold on the top spot as Palmowski and teammate Chloe Chambers traded personal bests, before the Briton’s final attempt nudged her in front by 0.074s at the chequered flag.
Larsen was the first driver to get a feel for the 4.361 km circuit, with her initial impression clocking in at 1:55.428. Steadily getting up to speed, the Tommy Hilfiger driver set the time to beat at 1:42.647 to go three tenths ahead of Ella Lloyd.
Only four drivers had times on the board after 10 minutes of running. Lloyd was next to go fastest on a 1:43.277, despite the McLaren driver going too deep into the final chicane and over the run off.
Beginning to make her presence known, Chambers posted a 1:41.701 to go a tenth quicker than Palmowski at the top of the timesheets.
Although the Red Bull Ford driver then improved by a further two tenths, her hold would be brief as Palmowski broke clear on her next attempt, putting an eight-tenths buffer between herself and P2.
Chambers was the first into the 1:39s to re-take the time to beat, only to be pushed back down to second by just 0.079s to Palmowski.
Pin sat in third at the halfway mark, 0.237s off the benchmark.
The Campos duo showed little sign of slowing, with Chambers crossing the line to regain best time of the session, before Palmowski set the timesheets alight with a 1:39.315.
Five tenths off the pace in third, Larsen narrowly avoided a trip to the barriers, carrying too much speed into the chicane and spinning onto the grass.
A red flag put running to a halt with less than 10 minutes remaining after a fan detached from Pin’s car following her exit from the pits.
Improvements were still to be found once Green Flag conditions resumed. Even with the tyres being well past their peak, Chambers posted the first 1:38s time of the day.
However, it was Palmowski who ended the session on top, snatching the fastest effort by setting a 1:38.898 at the chequered flag.
Qualifying-
Chloe Chambers threw down the gauntlet to her title rivals, conquering Qualifying in Montreal to seal her third consecutive pole position of the season.
Locked in a back and forth battle with teammate Alisha Palmowski, it was the Red Bull Ford driver who stamped her authority on the top spot, setting a 1:38.125 in the final minutes.
Palmowski completed a 1-2 for Campos Racing, with Mercedes’ Doriane Pin finishing four tenths back in third.
Without a time to her name following an electrical issue in practice, every lap mattered for Maya Weug.
After a burst of initial laps, Chambers set the early benchmark of a 1:45.283.
Improving into the 1:41s on her next attempt, the American was swiftly beaten by a 1:40.910 from Alba Larsen.
Times quickly tumbled, with Lia Block, Ella Lloyd and Palmowski all going fastest in turn, before Larsen moved back up to the top and into the 1:39s.
In a class of her own in the first phase, Larsen continued to beat her personal best, with a 1:39.246 putting nine tenths between herself and Lloyd in P2.
With 17 minutes to go, the PREMA trio headed out and Pin immediately broke into the top three, albeit six tenths off Larsen.
Reminiscent of Free Practice, Chambers would be the one to demote her teammate going over a tenth quicker.
In response, Palmowski posted the fastest time of the day with a 1:38.749 with Chambers settling for second on her next attempt.
The Red Bull Ford driver then reinstated her hold on the top of the timesheets by 0.059s only for Palmowski to find an extra 0.039s.
With less than six minutes to go, Chamber responded with a 1:38.125, eclipsing her teammate by over five tenths.
Pin then hit the front row, splitting the Campos duo, but one final lap at the chequered flag was enough for Palmowski to regain second.
However, Chambers’ earlier effort proved enough for her to seal pole position by three tenths to Palmowski, as Pin wound up third.
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