Friday’s second practice session in Montreal went ahead with only 19 drivers taking part, as Charles Leclerc was unable to return to the track after crashing heavily in the earlier session. His Ferrari required a full survival cell replacement, which cannot be cleared by the FIA until Saturday, meaning he had to sit this one out.

Early in the session, Lewis Hamilton ran wide at Turn 4, giving Ferrari a nervous flashback to Leclerc’s earlier crash. While Hamilton avoided any damage, Lance Stroll was not as fortunate. The Canadian driver, still recovering from a recent medical procedure on his hand and wrist, made contact with the wall exiting Turn 7. The result was a broken steering arm on the front-left of his Aston Martin, ending his session prematurely and reducing the number of cars on track to 18.

Max Verstappen reported instability in his Red Bull, saying the car felt more unpredictable in slower corners. Hamilton was also dealing with an unsettled car, mentioning that the rear end was sliding, especially through the final part of the lap. Despite this, it was George Russell who led the way early on. He found a strong rhythm in his Mercedes, improving his time as the session progressed and reaching a fastest lap of 1:12.123.

There were a few other incidents as the session continued. Alexander Albon missed his pit box entry, offering a quick apology over the radio. Franco Colapinto found himself in trouble again, spinning at Turn 2 just as he had done in the morning, once more losing control of the rear of his Alpine.

McLaren appeared to be struggling at first, with Lando Norris well off the leading pace. But as the track evolved, both Norris and Oscar Piastri found more grip and climbed the standings. Norris eventually closed the gap to Russell to just a few hundredths of a second, although he was running on the softer tyres compared to Russell’s medium compound.

Fernando Alonso had a moment through the grass in the fourth and fifth corners, and several drivers had complaints about traffic. Pierre Gasly managed to hold onto his car while reacting to a slower Norris ahead of him, while Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson also voiced frustration over traffic.

At the end of FP2, George Russell led the field for Mercedes. Lando Norris finished second for McLaren, just behind him. Kimi Antonelli secured third, giving Mercedes two cars in the top three. Alexander Albon impressed with fourth place for Williams, and Fernando Alonso followed in fifth for Aston Martin. Oscar Piastri took sixth in the second McLaren, just ahead of Carlos Sainz in seventh for Williams. Lewis Hamilton ended the session in eighth for Ferrari, with Max Verstappen ninth for Red Bull. Rounding out the top ten was Liam Lawson driving for Racing Bulls.