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Formula 1 Canadian GP

F1 Canadian GP Live Commentary and Updates - FP1 & FP2

Friday's action from the eight round of the 2023 Formula 1 season.

F1 begins its eighth round this weekend with another trip across the Atlantic for the Canadian GP.

Max Verstappen leads the drivers’ standings by 53 points from Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez, following his latest win in Spain coupled with the Mexican’s fourth place finish behind both Mercedes drivers.

First practice starts at 6:30pm BST with second practice at 10pm BST.

By: Haydn Cobb, Stefan Mackley

Stopped
Summary
  • Hamilton leads Mercedes 1-2 in second practice for Canadian GP before rain curtails running
  • FP2 red-flagged twice, as Alpine's Ocon stopped on track and Hulkenberg's Haas fire
  • First practice also red-flagged in opening minutes and then cancelled due to local CCTV infrastructure issues
Leaderboard
  1. Hamilton, Mercedes
  2. Russell, Mercedes
  3. Sainz, Ferrari
  4. Alonso, Aston Martin
  5. Leclerc, Ferrari
  6. Verstappen, Red Bull
  7. Bottas, Alfa Romeo
  8. Perez, Red Bull
  9. Stroll, Aston Martin
  10. Gasly, Alpine
As ever, thank you for joining us. Be sure to follow all the action tomorrow as we cover FP3 and qualifying ahead of the Canadian GP on Sunday.
An interesting FP2, with both Mercedes and Ferrari looking like they might have the pace to trouble Red Bull here in Montreal. Found out all the details in our session report here.
Off track
Replays show Bottas losing control into the T10 hairpin and going onto the grass before coming a bit too close for comfort to a Ferrari ahead. No damage done, though, but a heart-in-mouth moment.
After 90 minutes of running, it's a Mercedes 1-2 with Hamilton heading Russell. Who had that on their bingo card ahead of the session?
Checkered flag
And there we are - the end of FP2.
It certainly looks too wet for the intermediate tyre which was what both are on. They're joined by Sainz, Leclerc, Bottas, Zhou and Norris. Although at this stage all are practically crawling around.
Or not. Both Aston Martins decide to head out on track in the final minute. I guess any chance to sample these sorts of conditions is worth it... until it goes wrong.
One lap is enough though and he boxes. Just over two minutes left and I think that's it for today's running.
He's decided to hell with it and is giving the crowd something cheer about as he slips and slides his way around.
It appears to be hitting the T10 hairpin, but for now the pitlane remains dry. Unsurprisingly almost everyone is in the pits apart from Norris.
Rain
And here comes the rain...
Leclerc has also ventured out on intermediates, but tells his team that it's not raining! There's no denying that the wind has blown pollen and various other bits of debris onto the track possibly making it slippy, but as far as we can tell there's no actual rain.
It may not be raining but Hamilton is told by his engineer that the wind has picked up substantially.
And they are back in. That all seemed pretty pointless but who are we to question Red Bull's strategy?
That hasn't stopped Perez from going out on a set of intermediate tyres though. And he's joined by Verstappen. Clearly Red Bull believe the rain is going to hit any second...
Just over 10 minutes left and despite it looking like the end times out there, incredibly no one is reporting of any rain hitting the track.
Off track
Sainz and Albon have been exploring the limits, the Ferrari driver cutting the final chicane while the Williams man takes to the grass at T1.
A nose change for Leclerc's Ferrari. No signs of damage, so perhaps a setup change more than anything.
The Australian is currently P11, two places higher than team-mate Norris. It's been a quiet session for the McLaren duo.
Gasly may have been close to hitting the wall, but Piastri definitely has made contact. The McLaren driver describes it as a clip with the wall, but it's a fair old whack exiting the final chicane although he's able to continue.
Ooofff! Big oversteer moment for Gasly exiting the Turn 4 left-hander as his rear tyre is just inches away from the wall.
Quote
"Looks like it might just be missing us" reports Russell's engineer when he's asked about whether the rain will hit.
But for now, no precipitation is hitting the track as Leclerc embarks on another lap with the medium rubber.
It's fair to say that from the images we're seeing, when it rains it's not going to be a light shower. Ominous dark rain clouds all around the circuit.
In amongst all that, Alonso has jumped into fourth to show that Aston Martin shouldn't be discounted in Montreal.
It's early days, but it definitely looks like Mercedes and Ferrari could at least trouble Red Bull this weekend. And we've not been able to say that very often in 2023 so far!
Stopwatch
Well, well, well. Not to be outdone by his younger team-mate, Hamilton jumps ahead by just fractions with a 1m13.718s.
Stopwatch
Russell is making the most of the dry running, going purple in the middle sector and to the top of the times! A great lap for the Mercedes driver who posts a 1m13.745s.
Rain
Weather update: De Vries is told by his engineer that rain is coming in 10 minutes!
Just over 30 minutes remaining in FP2, and if you're a Ferrari fan you've got something to smile about. Sainz currently leads Leclerc, with Verstappen in third.
Replays show Magnussen and De Vries almost coming together in the pitlane. The AlphaTauri driver was shown the green light to leave his box, but came so close to being collected by the Haas.
Stopwatch
The Aston Martin driver sets a purple S1 and personal bests in the remaining two sectors to move up to P5 with a 1m14.231s.
There's not much improvement across the board as drivers focus on long runs except one driver: Fernando Alonso.