Canadian Grand Prix – Free Practice 2: Verstappen the fastest

It was on a dry track that the Alfa Romeo cars were the first to hit the track in this second practice session. Valtteri Bottas didn’t even have the chance to start his flying lap when an engine problem forced him to go straight back to the garage. Another driver with a Ferrari engine at the back of his car, Kevin Magnussen, also had a turbulent start to the session. The Danish driver narrowly avoided a collision with Sebastian Vettel after the latter’s careless exit from the garage.

After 10 minutes, Max Verstappen continued his good form from Free Practice 1 by placing his Red Bull at the top of the time sheet. The Dutch driver clocked a 1’14’792 with medium tires. His title rival, Charles Leclerc, was five-tenths behind but with soft tires.

In the first Free Practice session, Fernando Alonso finished in 3rd place, and he continued to display a good pace in this second practice session by holding the 5th position at the halfway point. The Spaniard was ahead of Sergio Perez’s Red Bull. So far this season, the best results for the two-time world champion are two 7th places in Monaco and Baku.

Alonso was not the only world champion to impress in FP2. Indeed, with 20 minutes remaining, Sebastian Vettel was in a promising 4th position. The German was only three tenths behind the Dutchman’s time. The Aston Martin driver has won two editions of the Canadian Grand Prix (2013 and 2018).

Finally, the gap narrowed during the session between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc to less than a tenth of a second. The other Red Bull driver, Sergio Perez, probably focused less on his qualifying pace as the Mexican finished in 11th position. Ultimately, Valtteri Bottas never had the opportunity to hit the track. Therefore, the entire collection of Alfa Romeo’s data rested on the shoulders of Guanyu Zhou. Our two French drivers, Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, finished in 6th and 10th position respectively.

FP2 Table: