FormulaNerds Cut To The Race Podcast

Canadian Grand Prix: Free Practice 2 Results

What happened in the second practice session of the weekend ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix?

Darius Needham 3 min read

Latest Episode | Cut To The Race Podcast

A session of much more running on track and slightly better weather conditions defines Free Practice Two at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Free Practice Two, Canadian Grand Prix
some cars out on track at a damp circuit in Montreal. Credit: Jayce Illman via Getty Images

Fernando Alonso topped the timesheets in FP2 at the Canadian Grand Prix with a 1:15.810. Both George Russell and Lance Stroll completed the top three in a session that consisted of two halves.

A quick recap of FP1

After a session that saw very little running due to damp conditions, yellow flags and a red flag, Lando Norris topped the timesheets in FP1 with a 1:24.435.

However, in the last ten minutes of the session, the weather and track started to dry out and improve, as some of the drivers decided to go on slicks for the first time in the hour.

This meant that the McLaren driver was able to put in the fastest lap as both Ferrari drivers in Carlos Sainz and last weekend’s race winner in Monaco Charles Leclerc completed the top three.

Second Practice underway in Montreal

After there wasn’t much running in FP1, the drivers were lining up at the end of the pitlane on slick tyres and ready to go for FP2. However, as the rain started to fall once again at the start of the session, some of the drivers returned to the pits to change tyres.

Five minutes into the session and Leclerc had been noted by the stewards for tyre usage after he came out on five lap old intermediates which were from the set he used in FP1. As lap times started to be registered, Pierre Gasly would go fastest on the soft tyre with a 1:29.007 after 10 minutes. The Frenchman would then start to put up quicker times as began to acclimatise to the track, setting a 1:20.789.

Both Mercedes drivers were not too far behind the Alpine driver as George Russell and Lewis Hamilton were only a tenth of a second off the pace. Fernando Alonso would then go fastest with a 1:20.451 as the rain started to get heavier.

Kevin Magnussen brought out the first yellow flag in practice two after the Haas driver went off track and onto the grass for a brief moment. More drivers would then start to struggle as well to stay on the track as the rainfall continued to fall.

A third of the way into the session, Alonso’s team-mate Lance Stroll would briefly go to the top of the timesheets before the Spaniard would claim top spot with a 1:18.662. A few minutes later, Leclerc would go quickest on the medium compound with a 1:16.566.

Once again, Alonso would find himself at the top of the times with a 1:15.810. Russell was nearly half a second behind him in P2 and Stroll was a further two tenths behind the Mercedes driver in P3.

Midway point in the session

As we hit the halfway mark in the session, most of the drivers were back in the pits. However, for the current world champion, it was practice over for Max Verstappen after he reported an issue of burning in his car to the Red Bull team, who continued working on diagnosing the issue throughout the rest of the hour.

With less than 20 minutes to go in practice two, some of the drivers were back out on a much damper track compared to the start of the session.

Red Bull confirmed with ten minutes to go in the session that Verstappen had an issue with his ERS which caused his second practice in Montreal to end early. There were some more issues out on track as well for Leclerc who took a spin down at the hairpin and Norris, who had been noted by the stewards for not returning back on the track when running wide.

The closing stages of Practice Two

Approaching the closing stages of FP2, some drivers continued to set times however, no one was improving. The session ended with Alonso topping the timesheet as Russell and Stroll completed the top three.

Final Results

The action continues on Saturday with the final practice session of the weekend and qualifying all still to come before the grand prix on Sunday.

Feature Image Credit: (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This website is unofficial and is not associated in any way with the Formula 1 companies. F1, FORMULA ONE, FORMULA 1, FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, GRAND PRIX and related marks are trade marks of Formula One Licensing B.V.

Zeen is a next generation WordPress theme. It’s powerful, beautifully designed and comes with everything you need to engage your visitors and increase conversions.

Back to the top