George Russell topped a frantic FP2 in Montreal, where 16 drivers ended within a second on an ever-evolving Gilles Villeneuve track.
The Canadian Grand Prix is already in full swing after just one session, as this is a race where early practice is crucial. The track evolves, performance over a single lap needs testing, as well as tire wear—all while navigating heavy traffic, which proved challenging in FP1.
Max Verstappen set the fastest time in the first session, while the McLarens were surprisingly off the pace at the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit during the first hour of running. There is no doubt they will aim to resolve their MCL39’s handling issues in FP2 in Quebec.
Charles Leclerc had a rough start to the weekend by putting his Ferrari SF-25 into the wall before the 20-minute mark in FP1, leaving him with less track time. Despite a few mistakes and traffic scares, all other drivers managed to complete substantial running.
10:32 p.m.: Double trouble for Leclerc—he won’t be able to take part in the second free practice. Ferrari has confirmed the reasons the Monegasque will remain in the garage until tomorrow.
10:35 p.m.: It was Scuderia team principal Frédéric Vasseur who made the announcement: “When I left the garage, we thought we had damaged the chassis and we won’t be able to take part in FP2 according to the regulations. We need to do some checks, but I think it’s over for Charles today.”
10:47 p.m.: Vasseur was also firm in addressing the rumors surrounding him in Italy, speaking about his future this Friday in Canada—more on that here.
11:00 p.m.: FP2 of the Canadian GP is underway!
11:03 p.m.: Mistakes from FP1 carry over—Lewis Hamilton messes up his first flying lap.
11:04 p.m.: Yuki Tsunoda clocks a 1:15.047, beaten by Hamilton with a 1:14.597. Medium tires are preferred early in the session, with Esteban Ocon going third.
11:05 p.m.: Pierre Gasly jumps to second, while Lando Norris is only fourth. Alex Albon takes the lead with a 1:13.942 on soft tires.
11:06 p.m.: The Sauber drivers are on hard tires, and Carlos Sainz moves to second on mediums. Fernando Alonso grabs third, and George Russell takes provisional P1 with a 1:13.482. Meanwhile, Lance Stroll is coasting with a damaged suspension!
11:07 p.m.: Yellow flags are out as the Aston Martin slows down, but the Canadian manages to pull into a runoff area behind the barriers, allowing the session to continue. However, his day is done after scraping the wall and breaking the suspension while overtaking slower cars.
11:09 p.m.: Stroll hadn’t set a time before the crash, so there will be two drivers without a lap time this session. He wanted to return to the pits, but his engineer reminded him that it’s prohibited with a damaged car.
11:10 p.m.: Norris goes fastest on mediums with a 1:13.335. Verstappen takes second on softs, just 0.094 behind. Hamilton goes faster still on mediums, just 0.022 behind the McLaren.
11:11 p.m.: Albon returns to the top with a 1:13.135 on softs. Russell goes even quicker with a 1:12.887, also on softs. Verstappen improves and slots into third.
11:12 p.m.: Both McLaren drivers miss the final chicane one after the other.
11:13 p.m.: Carlos Sainz takes second on mediums, just 0.146 behind Russell. Tsunoda moves up to eighth. The Williams looks to be back on form this weekend.
11:14 p.m.: Hamilton also misses the final chicane and asks his engineer: “I need help in the last corner—I need to understand why the car keeps sliding.”
11:16 p.m.: Russell improves again to a 1:12.602. Verstappen moves to second with a 1:12.815. Sainz betters his time to 1:12.764.
11:17 p.m.: Isack Hadjar takes fourth on mediums—despite traffic—while Alonso is fifth on softs.
11:19 p.m.: Albon misses his pit box and rejoins for another lap.
11:20 p.m.: Alonso improves and takes fourth.
11:24 p.m.: Russell now on mediums—goes faster than on softs with a 1:12.123.
11:25 p.m.: Franco Colapinto spins again at Turn 1, just like in FP1. Albon was improving but botched the final chicane.
11:26 p.m.: Unlike Russell, Hadjar switched from mediums to softs and posts the third-fastest time.
11:27 p.m.: Gasly goes fifth on softs, Hamilton improves and takes second, though still half a second behind Russell. Norris only manages eighth on softs.
11:30 p.m.: Both Racing Bulls drivers were held up—Lawson by an Alpine, Hadjar by a Sauber. The Frenchman vents: “Who’s in that Sauber?” to which his engineer Pierre Hamelin replies sarcastically: “They need to buy mirrors.”
11:31 p.m.: Andrea Kimi Antonelli takes second on softs, 0.288 behind his teammate. Norris is third on softs, 0.479 behind Russell.
11:32 p.m.: Piastri does better than Norris but only by 0.007s.
11:34 p.m.: Norris moves up to second, 0.028 behind Russell. Lawson goes eighth.
11:37 p.m.: Albon sets the fourth-fastest time on mediums, despite a messy final sector after going purple in Sector 2. Alonso is fifth on softs.
11:39 p.m.: Piastri can’t do better than sixth.
11:42 p.m.: Alonso stays fifth on softs. Drivers are switching to long runs in preparation for the race—Sainz swaps his softs for mediums.
11:46 p.m.: Verstappen overshoots the chicane and complains his brakes “don’t bite” when cold: “Worse than FP1.”
11:58 p.m.: Sainz exhibits some dangerous driving with Bortoleto, slowing and accelerating repeatedly before cutting the chicane alongside the Brazilian.
12:00 a.m.: End of session!
Russell finishes on top, followed by Norris and Antonelli. Albon is next ahead of Alonso, Piastri, and Sainz—completing a top seven powered entirely by Mercedes engines. Hamilton is eighth, then Verstappen, Lawson, and Hadjar. Gasly follows, ahead of the Saubers, then Tsunoda, the Haas pair, Colapinto far off the pace, and finally Stroll and Leclerc without a time.
Canadian Grand Prix – Practice 2 Classification
| Pos | Driver | Team | Gap to Fastest | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:12.123 | 33 |
| 2 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.028 | 32 |
| 3 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +0.288 | 33 |
| 4 | Alexander Albon | Williams | +0.322 | 36 |
| 5 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +0.335 | 31 |
| 6 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.439 | 31 |
| 7 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +0.508 | 36 |
| 8 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.530 | 33 |
| 9 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.543 | 31 |
| 10 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +0.628 | 30 |
| 11 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | +0.676 | 31 |
| 12 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +0.751 | 33 |
| 13 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber | +0.773 | 32 |
| 14 | Nico Hülkenberg | Kick Sauber | +0.791 | 33 |
| 15 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | +0.816 | 34 |
| 16 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +0.957 | 36 |
| 17 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +1.052 | 33 |
| 18 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +1.775 | 33 |
| 19 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | – | 2 |
| 20 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | – | 0 |
