Friday’s FP2 session at the 2025 Formula 1 Canadian GP unfolded under clear skies at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, yet it proved anything but straightforward for several teams and drivers. While George Russell set the pace with a commanding lap early in the session, various incidents, near-misses, and shifting strategies ensured that FP2 remained dynamic throughout. Charles Leclerc’s absence after his FP1 crash dealt a blow to Ferrari’s programme, while Lance Stroll’s early exit further complicated Aston Martin’s preparations.
Amid the drama, tight gaps at the top and encouraging performances from rookies like Kimi Antonelli and Isack Hadjar pointed to a fiercely competitive weekend ahead. As the field transitioned to race simulation runs in the closing stages, the session settled—but the implications for qualifying and the GP remain wide open.
Verstappen leads Williams duo in FP1
The 2025 F1 Canadian GP FP1 session kicked off with teams eager to maximise track time. Max Verstappen led early runs for Red Bull, closely followed by the Ferraris. Lewis Hamilton, historically strong in Canada, was keen for a turnaround after a tough season.
A brief yellow flag appeared early on after Colapinto spun but rejoined safely. Verstappen initially set the pace with a 1:16.067 before Charles Leclerc and then Isack Hadjar, on mediums, went faster. As the track improved, Alex Albon and Lando Norris traded quick laps, though Norris made a mistake that cost him time.
Leclerc’s promising run ended abruptly when he crashed into the barriers at Turn 3-4, bringing out a red flag. He was uninjured, but his car suffered heavy damage.
Once running resumed, Verstappen and George Russell exchanged fastest laps before Carlos Sainz, in an impressive showing for Williams, went quickest with a 1:13.275. Albon then narrowly beat his teammate to take second.
As the session neared its end, grip issues plagued several drivers, with Hamilton, Russell, and Norris all having off-track moments. McLaren’s performance was underwhelming, with Norris only managing seventh and Piastri struggling further back.
The session ended with Verstappen on top, followed by Albon and Sainz in a strong showing for Williams.
Leclerc unable to participate in FP2 after damage to survival cell
Less than 30 minutes before the start of FP2 at the 2025 F1 Canadian GP, Scuderia Ferrari announced that Charles Leclerc would sit out the second free practice session. Leclerc, who crashed in the early minutes of FP1, had damaged the survival cell of his SF-25. With limited time between sessions, the Maranello-based team could not complete the necessary repairs in time, ruling the Monégasque out of any further Friday running.
According to regulations, Leclerc may return to the track for FP3 on Saturday, provided the damage has been fully repaired. With only a single session remaining to re-familiarise himself with the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, he will be desperate to make the most of it and turn his weekend around.
Stroll out after fast-paced start to the session.
As the lights went green, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari’s sole representative in FP2 at the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix, led the drivers out onto the track alongside the Haas duo of Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman, all running on the medium tyres. With Charles Leclerc sidelined, Ferrari must now rely solely on Hamilton’s data to inform their preparations for Saturday’s qualifying session.
Franco Colapinto of Alpine was the first driver to set a representative lap time, recording a 1:17.262. Nevertheless, his time quickly fell as more drivers began to post competitive laps. Within the first ten minutes, drama unfolded as Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll suffered an incident that forced him to retire from the session. With a heavily damaged car, he pulled into an escape road and abandoned his run. Following a brief yellow flag, the session resumed.
Russell first under 1:12
Lando Norris, running on the medium compound, then moved to the top of the timesheets with a 1:13.335. However, times continued to drop rapidly. Alexander Albon, on the soft tyres, briefly took the lead with a 1:13.135. Shortly afterwards, Mercedes driver George Russell became the first to break the 1:13 barrier, setting a 1:12.887 and taking over at the top.
Meanwhile, the McLaren pair of Norris and Oscar Piastri both struggled with the final chicane, compromising their lap times. Max Verstappen slotted into third with a 1:13.246 but reported issues with the car’s driveability. Carlos Sainz responded with a strong performance, posting a 1:13.033 to claim second place. Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, complained of difficulty through the final corner, having lost time on his last flying lap before returning to the pits.
Subsequently, both Russell and Verstappen, continuing on soft tyres, improved their lap times. Russell extended his advantage with a 1:12.602, while Verstappen closed the gap with a 1:12.815, securing first and second place respectively.
Russell the driver to beat in the second quarter
Russell’s benchmark time of 1:12.602 remained the target with 45 minutes left on the clock. Although Carlos Sainz managed to improve his time, he could only post a 1:12.762, which placed him ahead of Verstappen and into second. Meanwhile, Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar, who remains a potential stand-in for Max Verstappen should he receive another penalty point this weekend or in Austria, moved into fourth with a 1:13.051, impressively set on the medium compound.
A brief comedic moment occurred in the pit lane when Alexander Albon locked up and had to perform a go-around before returning to his pit box. Elsewhere, Fernando Alonso, running on the soft tyres, improved to fourth with a 1:12.882. With Lance Stroll out of the session, Aston Martin, like Ferrari, must rely heavily on their more experienced driver for valuable data ahead of Saturday.
With just under 37 minutes remaining, George Russell, now on the medium tyres, improved significantly, posting a rapid 1:12.123. Moments later, Franco Colapinto briefly brought out a yellow flag following a spin but quickly recovered—just as he had in FP1—allowing green flag conditions to resume.
Lewis Hamilton then improved to fifth with a 1:12.901. Soon after, Hadjar responded once again, jumping up to third with a strong 1:12.799. However, he was promptly displaced as Hamilton, now on soft tyres, climbed to second with a 1:12.653—just 0.530 seconds behind his former Mercedes teammate Russell.
Russell’s current teammate, rookie Kimi Antonelli, continued to struggle, finding himself down in 12th position as he attempted to rebound from a challenging European triple-header. Esteban Ocon attempted a flying lap next but encountered traffic, limiting him to 17th with a 1:13.594. His teammate Oliver Bearman fared slightly better, placing ninth with a 1:13.080.
A battle between Mercedes, McLaren and Williams
Into the latter half of FP2 at the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli improved his pace with a 1:12.411, moving into second position ahead of Lando Norris, who had earlier set a 1:12.602. Oscar Piastri, the current leader of the 2025 F1 Drivers’ Championship, then responded with a 1:12.595, taking third place, while George Russell remained unbeaten at the top with his commanding 1:12.123.
Pierre Gasly had a close call with the wall, narrowly avoiding contact. He attributed the moment to the sparse traffic around him rather than any mistake on his part. Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto also brushed the limits, running close to the walls before abandoning his lap and remaining in 17th with a 1:13.364. Esteban Ocon found a bit more pace, improving to 14th with a 1:13.179, just over a tenth behind his teammate Oliver Bearman in 13th.
At the front, Norris continued to find performance, improving to a 1:12.151—just 0.025 seconds adrift of Russell. His rising confidence around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve was evident. Antonelli held firm in third, ahead of Piastri, while Carlos Sainz slotted into fifth with a 1:12.631. Alex Albon then posted a 1:12.445 to move into fourth, with Fernando Alonso close behind in fifth after setting a 1:12.458. This pushed Piastri down to sixth as he attempted another flying lap. However, he struggled for grip on the increasingly slippery surface and narrowly avoided the wall.
Lewis Hamilton sat in eighth, just 0.013 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen in ninth. Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson rounded out the top ten, leading teammate Isack Hadjar as the session entered its final 20 minutes.
Long run simulations the focus of the final third
In the final third of the 2025 F1 Canadian GP FP2 session, the majority of drivers switched to the medium tyres as teams began their race simulation runs. Meanwhile, the Sauber pair of Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hülkenberg opted for the hard compound, likely to gather longer-run data under differing conditions.
As the clock ticked into the final fifteen minutes, George Russell remained unchallenged at the top of the timesheets with his earlier 1:12.123. Lando Norris held second with a 1:12.151, while Kimi Antonelli stayed third with a 1:12.411. With teams focused on long-run pace rather than qualifying performance, the order at the top remained largely unchanged, and the action on the timesheets settled into a quieter rhythm. The order held as the chequered flag waved.
Full results from the 2025 F1 Canadian GP FP2
- George Russell
- Lando Norris
- Kimi Antonelli
- Alexander Albon
- Fernando Alonso
- Oscar Piastri
- Carlos Sainz
- Lewis Hamilton
- Max Verstappen
- Liam Lawson
- Isack Hadjar
- Pierre Gasly
- Gabriel Bortoleto
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Yuki Tsunoda
- Oliver Bearman
- Esteban Ocon
- Franco Colapinto
- Lance Stroll
Did not participate: Charles Leclerc
