Hamilton tops opening practice for Canadian Grand Prix

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Lewis Hamilton led for Mercedes AMG Petronas in the opening 90-minute practice session for this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix, thus giving the first blow back to the Silver Arrows after its rough weekend in Monaco.

While it appeared as though the team was set for a 1-2 with Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas trading the fastest lap, Sebastian Vettel interrupted proceedings and slotted into second at 0.198 behind for Scuderia Ferrari, a 1:14.007.

Vettel aside, Hamilton and Bottas engaged in a proper neck-and-neck scrap at the top of the timesheets, as the low grip Circuit Gilles Villeneuve circuit rubbered in over the course of the session.

With just over 30 minutes left in the session, Hamilton posted a lap of 1:14.173 that beat teammate Bottas by just over a tenth of a second. But then Bottas then went to a 1:14.046 lap immediately thereafter to supplant him.

That only stood until Hamilton posted the weekend’s first 1:13 lap, a 1:13.961, which was 0.085 of a second ahead of Bottas. Hamilton went quicker still to a 1:13.809 as the session reached the 20-minute remaining mark.

Behind the top three, Kimi Raikkonen was fourth for Ferrari, with the pair of Mercedes-powered Sahara Force India drivers also having a very good session in fifth and sixth. Sergio Perez (only 0.769 of a second behind) and Esteban Ocon (0.976) were both within a second. Ocon spun near the end of the session, though, one of several in the session. The best of the Red Bulls was only Max Verstappen in seventh, with Daniel Ricciardo in ninth.

All of the top six drivers set their fastest times on Pirelli’s ultrasoft tires, the softest compound on offer at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.

As could be expected, grip was at a premium to kick off the weekend festivities on the Isle Notre Dame, the park/street course that is only utilized at most two race weekends per year.

The low grip track led to a number of spins and off-course excursions. Ocon, Raikkonen, Vettel (below) and Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson all spun at least once, while Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg (below) and Jolyon Palmer, McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne and Williams’ Lance Stroll also had offs that were caught on camera.

Palmer at one point balked Verstappen as the Dutchman reported in to his Red Bull Racing team that “Palmer wasn’t looking in his mirrors.” Verstappen later had a moment of his own.

The session didn’t even last a lap for Scuderia Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz Jr., his unbadged Renault power plant smoking and stopping at the exit of the hairpin on his installation lap.

And then, sadly, there was another chapter written in the saga of Fernando Alonso’s 2017 F1 season with McLaren Honda. It took until the final 25 minutes of the session before the returning driver could post an official lap, either, before his similar fate of mechanical woes also returned.

His McLaren Honda did an installation lap early on but didn’t register a proper lap until he posted a time of 1:16.521 with 20 minutes to go, good for 16th and almost a half second behind Vandoorne in 11th.

Almost true to form, Alonso’s car stopped on track after completing just that one lap. He parked the car at the hairpin, the team having told him to stop on track. He got out, threw his headrest down in frustration, and bantered with the corner marshals. On replay, Alonso reported in the “gearing was super heavy.”

The other driver of note worth watching this weekend is Canadian Stroll, the teenager having his first laps in Montreal as the first Canadian in his home Grand Prix since Jacques Villeneuve in 2006 with BMW Sauber. Stroll posted a best time of 1:16.313 on Pirelli’s soft compounds, good for 13th.

Wildlife also made its first appearance during the weekend at Montreal, as a squirrel darted across the track without incident.

Coverage for second free practice from Montreal comes your way at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN and online via the NBC Sports App. Times from FP1 are below.

Vicki Golden and 805 Beer tell a unique story from an Inverted Perspective

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Vicki Golden has earned a career worthy of a thousand stories and 805 Beer tells at least one of them, as “Inverted Perspective” premiered March 30 on the company’s website and YouTube channel.

Golden did more to break the glass ceiling in SuperMotocross than she ever thought possible. She knows this because riders have never felt the need to explain any of her accomplishments with the disclaimer, “for a girl”. 

At this point in Golden’s career, she’s been the first woman to finish top 10 in AMA Arenacross Lites, the first woman to qualify in the Fast 40 in Monster Energy AMA Supercross and the first woman to compete in freestyle Moto X competition, earning a bronze medal by doing so.

Her love for moto came from childhood while she watched her dad and brother ride. By seven she was on her bike and making waves throughout Southern California. 

Golden, 30, is still madly in love with the sport and has no plans on moving away but her career is already one to talk about. 805 Beer’s film series wanted to do exactly that.

“I’m taken aback by it all,” Golden told NBC Sports about the documentary. “It’s just crazy to see your story, it’s one thing to live your life and battle everything that comes about but it’s another to just sit there and talk about it.”

805 approached Golden about the feature by asking, “Do you even realize that what you do, and your story is special?”

Golden took the question as a blank canvas to map out the highs and lows of her career and life. 

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The title “Inverted Perspective” came from a brainstorming session with Dominick Russo and it highlights Golden’s outlook on the sport of SuperMotocross and her life in general. 

“My whole life, my whole career was thinking differently and looking at things that shouldn’t be done and aren’t there, while being able to make a place for myself, where no one thought there should be a place,” Golden said.  “It’s inspiring someone to think in different ways. It sums up my life.”

Vicki Golden is not “fast for a girl”; she’s just fast. – 805 Beer

While Golden is no stranger to the spotlight, this was the first time she’s been fully involved with the storytelling and creation of a feature about herself. 

“It’s not like a full new experience,” Golden said. “Obviously, you get your standard questions about your upbringing and accomplishments, but I’ve never really put into perspective things that happened in my past with my dad and putting that to light. Also, certain other things that maybe got overlooked in previous interviews or films. I wanted to touch on these and Dom wanted to create a story. It’s just cool to see it come to light, it’s a nearly impossible thing to tell somebody’s life story in 40 minutes.”

Golden’s father was left paralyzed after an ATV accident, robbing him the opportunity to ride again. This happened a few months before the father-daughter duo was set to compete in the Loretta Lynn’s Amateur Nationals when Vicki was 12. While she might have been unable to grasp the severity at the time, it’s something she carries with her. Golden continues to ride in his honor.

Years later, an accident in 2018 nearly sidelined the then 25-year-old Vicki when a freestyle accident almost resulted in the amputation of her lower leg. 

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Golden 805 Beer
Vicki Golden has ridden a variety of disciplines in SuperMotocross, which gives her a unique perspective. – 805 Beer

“Inverted Perspective” highlights her father’s diligence in helping Vicki continue with her career and the kindness and strength he carried while fighting his own battle. 

“My dad was the entire reason that I started riding in the first place,” Golden said. “So, to honor his memory and to honor what we went through and how hard he pushed to keep our dream alive and keep everything going – in that sense then, it was really special to be able to honor him and talk about him.”

The 40-minute feature was filmed entirely in black and white, a stark contrast from the oversaturated world of motocross where the brighter the suit the easier it is for fans to find their rider and follow him in the race. By filming in monochrome Russo and Golden had the chance to focus on the race and track from a different perspective. 

“It was cool to be able to film it differently,” Golden said. “It created a challenge in the sense of what was going to be more visually impactful for the film.

“I couldn’t be here without the companies that back me but at the same time, it’s not like the logos or colors disappeared, it’s just different lights shed on different spots. It’s just a cool way to do it and to take color away and still be impactful. When you think of black and white, you think of old school, the OG way of doing things.”