Montreal – The second practice for the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix was dominated by the Mercedes drivers. Briton Lewis Hamilton won on the track in Montreal, beating teammate and compatriot George Russell by 27 thousandths of a second. Organizers extended practice to ninety minutes after the first runs were interrupted after three minutes and subsequently not restarted due to a malfunction in the camera system. The fastest time was achieved by Valtteri Bottas from Alfa Romeo.
Advertisement'; }
Photo gallery: World Championship of Formula 1 cars in the 2023 season
< p>
< p>Not even the second practice was without red flags. First, the German Nico Hülkenberg retired from his car, which started to smoke on the finish line. Frenchman Esteban Ocon from Alpine also had technical difficulties later.
Last year's defending champion and reigning world champion Dutchman Max Verstappen from Red Bull set the fifth and sixth times in practice. The current leader, who leads team-mate Sergio Pérez by 53 points, can aim for a 41st career victory in Montreal, equaling the feat of legendary Brazilian Ayrton Senna. Red Bull is also aiming for the jubilee 100th win in F1.
The program of the Canadian Grand Prix continues today with the third practice session, from 22.00 CET there is qualifying on the program. The race will take place on Sunday from 20:00.
Practice for the Canadian Grand Prix:
First practice: 1. Bottas (Fin./Alfa Romeo) 1:18.728, 2. Stroll (Can./Aston Martin) -0.447, 3. Alonso (Sp./Aston Martin) -1.079, 4. Pérez (Mex./Red Bull) -1.426 , 5. Verstappen (Netherlands/Red Bull) -1.503, 6. Piastri (Aust./McLaren) -2.768.
Second practice: 1. Hamilton 1:13.718, 2. Russell (both Brit./Mercedes) -0.027, 3. Sainz (Sp./Ferrari) -0.126, 4. Alonso (Sp./Aston Martin) -0.326, 5. Leclerc (Mon./Ferrari) -0.376, 6. Verstappen (NIz./Red Bull) -0.424.
