The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve came alive with action as Formula 1 teams and drivers made up for lost time during an eventful FP2 at the Canadian Grand Prix. The session was extended by half an hour after a curtailed first practice due to technical difficulties on track. However, despite disruptions caused by red flags and unpredictable weather conditions, Lewis Hamilton managed to assert his dominance once again.
FP1 had minimal running due to problems with CCTV equipment around the track, forcing it to be abandoned after just a few laps. To compensate for this loss of valuable track time, the FIA decided to extend FP2 from its original one-hour duration to 90 minutes. This gave teams and drivers plenty of time to familiarise themselves with the challenging Montreal circuit, while also gathering vital data ahead of qualifying.
🏁⏱️#CanadianGP 🇨🇦 FP2 results by driver:
— Racing Union (@TheRacingUnion) June 17, 2023
1. HAMILTON (1:13.718)
2. Russell (+ 0.027)
3. Sainz (+ 0.126)
4. Alonso (+ 0.326)
5. Leclerc (+ 0.376)
6. Verstappen (+ 0.424)
7. Bottas (+ 0.502)
8. Perez (+ 0.532)
9. Stroll (+ 0.701)
10. Gasly (+ 0.759)#F1 pic.twitter.com/9zeuODKw0Q
With warm temperatures but looming rain showers threatening overhead, different run plans were seen throughout most of FP2's early phase. Some drivers opted for shorter stints using a mix of soft and medium compound tyres while others focused on longer runs instead. As expected in such circumstances, several factors influenced lap times during these soft-shod runs which saw sporadic improvements before interruptions hit once again.
Nico Hulkenberg's Haas experienced smoke coming from its back end and eventually stopped on track triggering another red flag period while Esteban Ocon had his Alpine brought into halt due suspected water pressure loss resulting in yet another stoppage later on in middle sector prompting more frustration amongst competitors who were eager complete their programs unhampered.
To add further complication rain showers arrived in the closing minutes of FP2's session. Despite these interruptions and adverse weather conditions, Lewis Hamilton emerged as the fastest driver with a stunning lap time of 1m 13.718s on soft tyres.
The seven-time world champion was followed closely by his Mercedes teammate George Russell, just 0.027 seconds behind him highlighting the team's strong performance in Canada so far.
Ferrari had a solid showing with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc taking third and fifth respectively sandwiching Fernando Alonso’s improved Aston Martin which secured fourth place.
Red Bull Racing opted for longer runs on medium tyres earlier than other teams leaving Max Verstappen to finish sixth while Sergio Perez claimed eighth position after their focus shifted away from softer compounds.
Valtteri Bottas put his Alfa Romeo between Red Bulls, finishing seventh overall. Lance Stroll impressively secured ninth place driving an Aston Martin while Pierre Gasly completed the top ten despite surviving a scary slide through Turn 4 during windy conditions.
Oscar Piastri added some drama late into FP2 when he brushed against Montreal’s notorious ‘Wall of Champions’, ending up eleventh ahead of Kevin Magnussen's Haas.
Lando Norris showed moderate pace placing thirteenth for McLaren alongside Zhou Guanyu in fourteenth piloting an Alfa Romeo Sauber C41 equipped with new upgrades aimed at improving their performance this weekend.
Both AlphaTauris rounded out fifteenth and sixteenth positions driven by Yuki Tsunoda and Nyck de Vries respectively whereas Alex Albon struggled slightly languishing down seventeenth spot due to Williams' extensive trials involving multiple new parts throughout practice sessions leading up to qualifyings tomorrow.
Esteban Ocon finished eighteenth while Nico Hulkenberg came last among twenty drivers following problems encountered during FP2 that had them stop prematurely or suffer setbacks preventing them from maximizing track time available before qualifying tomorrow.
As teams and drivers debrief their altered Friday running, they will undoubtedly analyze data meticulously to fine-tune their setups ahead of the final practice session on Saturday at 12:30 local time. The all-important qualifying session will follow later in the day at 16:00 as Formula 1 fans eagerly await another thrilling battle for pole position at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
