Second Free Practice Results & Report 2025 Canadian F1 Grand Prix
Event: Canadian F1 Grand Prix
Track: Gilles Villeneuve circuit
Weather: Partly clouded & dry 18°C
Tarmac: dry 38°C
Humidity: 38%
Wind: 3.2 km/h South
Russell Rockets to the Top in FP2 Chaos: Mercedes Shine, McLaren Struggles & Colapinto Spins Again
The sun may have shone over the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve for Friday’s second free practice, but storm clouds gathered for some of Formula 1’s big names as FP2 brought a fresh dose of drama to the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix weekend.
While George Russell topped the timesheets for Mercedes, McLaren faltered, Charles Leclerc sat out entirely, Lance Stroll hit the wall (again), and rookie Franco Colapinto looked like he was driving on ice skates. Welcome to Montreal, where the margins are fine and the walls are unforgiving.
🏁 Russell Rules the Island
George Russell, calm and collected as ever, delivered the fastest lap of the session with a 1:12.123, just a whisker slower than his own pole time from last season. The W15 finally seems to have found its sweet spot in cooler conditions, with Mercedes bringing subtle rear suspension upgrades that paid immediate dividends.
Lando Norris gave chase, ending up just 0.028s behind, while Mercedes protégé Andrea Kimi Antonelli confirmed the team’s strong form in third. It was a welcome return to form for the Italian teenager after a rocky European leg of the calendar.
🚧 Chaos for Leclerc and Stroll
While Russell was flying, others were floundering. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc never even got to turn a wheel in FP2 after a hefty FP1 crash left his chassis in need of a rebuild. No running meant no rhythm, and the Monegasque will now go into FP3 and Qualifying on the back foot — not ideal on a circuit where confidence is everything.
Lance Stroll, meanwhile, brought heartbreak to the home crowd. Back in the cockpit after injury kept him out of the Spanish GP, his return was short-lived. A slight understeer moment at Turn 4 sent him into the wall, breaking his front suspension and ending his day early. The fans looked gutted, and so did he.
🟠 McLaren Misfire
What’s going on at McLaren? That’s the question on many lips as both Norris and Oscar Piastri struggled to extract performance from the MCL38. Yes, Norris did finish P2, but it took him several attempts and a fair bit of frustration to hook up a lap on the C6 soft tyre.
Piastri, meanwhile, never looked settled and ended up sixth, nearly half a second down on Russell. The papaya squad did admit they were experimenting with front wing specs and test components, but even then, the twitchiness of the car was hard to ignore.
🧊 Colapinto Spins & Struggles
Alpine rookie Franco Colapinto had what can only be described as a character-building day. He spun twice in two sessions — almost carbon-copy errors — and ended up 18th, a massive 1.7s off Russell’s pace.
Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer didn’t mince words:
“We expected a lot more from Franco. He showed promise in the Williams last year, but this has been rough.”
It was a better day for teammate Pierre Gasly, who quietly snuck into 12th.
🔥 Tight Margins, Dusty Conditions
With a track surface that only sees F1 action once a year, grip was scarce. The Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve remained dusty throughout the session, catching out even the veterans. Norris ran wide, Hamilton shortcut the chicane, and almost everyone complained about traffic — especially Gabriel Bortoleto, who had a near-miss with Carlos Sainz and wasn’t shy in voicing his frustration.
Incredibly, the top 16 drivers were separated by less than a second, making tomorrow’s Qualifying session a potential lottery. On a short lap like Montreal’s, every tenth counts — and every traffic jam could spell disaster.
🧠 Tyre Games Begin
The tyre story continues to simmer beneath the surface. Most drivers avoided running the medium compound in FP2, clearly saving the yellow-rimmed rubber for Saturday’s crucial Qualifying session. Mercedes, Aston Martin, and Williams all appeared to be playing their cards close to their chest.
Some like Kick Sauber even dabbled with the hards, but it’s the mediums that could become the surprise weapon — as they were in Imola a few weeks ago.
🏎️ Hamilton on Data Duty
With Leclerc out of action, Lewis Hamilton ended up doing double duty for the Scuderia. Completing over 30 laps, mainly on mediums, he provided Ferrari with the race simulation data they desperately needed. Eighth fastest may not look spectacular, but in terms of preparation, it was a job well done.
📉 Bearman, Hadjar & the Midfield Scramble
Haas' Oliver Bearman logged an impressive 29 laps, working the mediums to their limit in a quiet yet efficient session. Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar showed flashes of promise for Racing Bulls, while Lawson and Sainz dealt with traffic nightmares and a few spicy radio messages.
Meanwhile, Alex Albon quietly stole the show early on by going P2 before slipping to fourth. Williams looks strong here — just like they hoped — and could be a midfield dark horse for Qualifying.
🕑 What’s Next?
FP3 kicks off Saturday at 12:30 local time, with Qualifying following shortly after. Can Leclerc recover? Will McLaren find their mojo? And is this the start of a Mercedes momentum shift?
Only time — and the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve's tight barriers — will tell.
Stay tuned to F1-Fansite.com for all the updates and full coverage throughout the Canadian Grand Prix weekend!
FP2 Times Table 2025 Canadian GP
| P | No | Driver | Team | Time | 1st Gap | Laps | Tyres |
| 1 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:12,123 | 33 | S | |
| 2 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:12,151 | +0,028s | 32 | S |
| 3 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:12,411 | +0,288s | 33 | S |
| 4 | 23 | Alex Albon | Williams | 1:12,445 | +0,322s | 36 | M |
| 5 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:12,458 | +0,335s | 31 | S |
| 6 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:12,562 | +0,439s | 32 | S |
| 7 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:12,631 | +0,508s | 37 | S |
| 8 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:12,653 | +0,530s | 34 | S |
| 9 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:12,666 | +0,543s | 31 | M |
| 10 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:12,751 | +0,628s | 30 | S |
| 11 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 1:12,799 | +0,676s | 31 | S |
| 12 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:12,874 | +0,751s | 34 | S |
| 13 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | 1:12,896 | +0,773s | 32 | S |
| 14 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Sauber | 1:12,914 | +0,791s | 33 | S |
| 15 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | 1:12,939 | +0,816s | 35 | S |
| 16 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:13,080 | +0,957s | 36 | S |
| 17 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:13,175 | +1,052s | 33 | S |
| 18 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:13,898 | +1,775s | 33 | S |
| 19 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | no time | - | 2 | 0 |
| 20 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Sauber | no time | - | 0 | 0 |
Last year the quickest lap time of FP2 was a 1:15,810 min, set by Fernando Alonso with the Aston Martin AMR24 driven on a set of soft compound tyres.
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