George Russell laid down a strong marker on Friday, topping the timing sheets in the FP2 session for the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver ended the session fastest, narrowly edging out McLaren’s Lando Norris and teammate Kimi Antonelli in an intriguing and closely contested hour.
The session began under the shadow of Charles Leclerc’s absence. Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur confirmed earlier in the day that chassis damage from Leclerc’s crash in FP1 meant the Monegasque would miss valuable track time. Lewis Hamilton, shouldering Ferrari’s hopes alone, was the first driver out on track to help gather critical data for the Italian team.
Yet just minutes into FP2, the Canadian crowd saw their home favorite, Lance Stroll, experience heartbreak. Returning after missing the previous Spanish Grand Prix due to persistent wrist pain, Stroll’s Aston Martin clipped the barriers, breaking his suspension and forcing an early exit with his car sporting a visibly damaged front-left wheel.
Tricky conditions challenge the grid
Grip was at a premium throughout the session, with drivers continuing to struggle with the rear instability witnessed earlier in the day. Several drivers opted to experiment with the C5 medium tyre instead of the softest available compound, though this brought mixed results.
Norris, alongside teammate Oscar Piastri, was among those finding it tough initially, both McLarens repeatedly overshooting the final chicane. Hamilton mirrored these issues, visibly showing frustration as he missed the apex.
Meanwhile, Russell enjoyed significantly smoother running, comfortably setting the benchmark midway through the Canadian GP FP2 session. His time of 1m12.123s on medium tyres proved competitive, initially placing him half a second clear of Hamilton.
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Despite Norris improving significantly towards the session’s end, coming within just 0.028s, Russell held firm. Mercedes rookie Antonelli also impressed, continuing his strong recent form and comfortably slotting into third place.
Williams’ Alex Albon showcased his pace and consistency on the medium tyres, taking an impressive fourth, while Fernando Alonso rounded out the top five as Aston Martin’s sole representative after Stroll’s early departure.
Traffic proved problematic, highlighted by two near misses involving Alpine’s Franco Colapinto. Both Liam Lawson and Albon had to take evasive action to avoid collisions, further highlighting the challenging conditions at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Closing the session, teams shifted their focus from outright lap times to long-run pace, preparing data and strategies ahead of the weekend’s competitive sessions. The final top three remained unchanged, with Mercedes showcasing strong overall pace that could signal a turnaround in their recent struggles.
Alonso finished ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Williams driver Carlos Sainz, while Hamilton slipped to eighth in his Ferrari. Championship contender Max Verstappen finished an underwhelming ninth, ahead of Lawson in tenth.
The field will now regroup, analysing data overnight before returning for the crucial final practice session scheduled for 12:30 pm local time on Saturday.
