Canadian Grand Prix – Free Practice 2: Alonso fastest, Verstappen breaks down

The first free practice session was marked by heavy rain, which had excessively wet the asphalt on the track. Faced with a waterlogged track, the marshals asked the drivers to wait 30 minutes before allowing them to leave the pit lane. This second free practice session also saw its share of rain in the middle of the session.

Alonso took advantage of it to set the fastest time just before the rain arrived, and his time held for the rest of the session.

While the track was not declared wet, all drivers went out on slick tires except one: Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari. The FIA noted the use of intermediate tires and opened an investigation. The Monégasque driver’s new engineer, Bryan Bozzi, ordered his driver to return to the garage without asking any questions. However, it became evident, even though no verbal clues were given, that the Scuderia feared receiving a penalty for going out with green-banded tires on a track that had not yet been declared wet by the FIA. The representatives of the Italian team were summoned to appear before the stewards’ office thirty minutes after the end of the session. Strangely, rain had indeed started falling on the track.

More rain but a lot of traffic.

Pierre Gasly was acting as a drop vacuum cleaner on the track by chaining laps alone on the track. In the French team, the free practice sessions were mainly focused on understanding the single-seater in order to set it up as best as possible. Enstone did not bring any new parts to Canada. This is also the case for Ferrari and McLaren. Most teams should bring a significant number of improvements to Barcelona, a track that has long hosted winter testing and therefore on which the teams have one of the highest levels of understanding. The teams that have brought improvements.

After 10 minutes of rolling, and now surrounded by other single-seaters on the track, the Norman driver took the radio to report a return of the rain. Paradoxically, while the clouds were showing threatening again, the numerous passages of the cars on the asphalt were clearing a dry trajectory. With each lap of the drivers, the lap times were improving. It turned out, however, that the drivers’ greatest enemy in this FP2 was themselves. All were blocking each other as they approached the final chicane. Those who slowed down to start their fast laps systematically blocked those who were starting their attempts. Alonso, Albon and Norris to a lesser extent, were particularly vindictive against the Ferraris, reproaching them for always being in their way.

The Canadian mystery for Red Bull

This Canadian Grand Prix is relatively intriguing for Red Bull. Once again this season, the Austrian team is no longer announced as the big favorite. The Ferraris and McLarens, once again, are expected to provide fierce competition to the winged bulls. After a first free practice session disrupted by weather conditions, it is now an electronic problem on Verstappen’s car that is preventing him from running.

As announced by the weather forecast, the rain made its return in the second part of the session. By going out with intermediate tires, indicating a deterioration of the track conditions, the drivers were no longer focusing on their lap times but were trying to get used to these conditions that will likely set the pace for this Canadian weekend. Lando Norris was caught off guard by the lack of grip at the last chicane and was forced to cut across it, while Charles Leclerc thanked the fans for their resilience by treating them to a nice spin at turn ten. Fortunately, there were no serious incidents unlike Guanyu Zhou’s crash in FP1.

It is Fernando Alonso who finishes this second free practice session on top. He is followed in the standings by George Russell and his teammate, Lance Stroll. These times did not have real value in these particularly changing and unstable conditions.

Results of the free practice 2 of the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix 2024: