Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton topped a chaotic Friday Practice for 2023 Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal.
Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas topped a scruffy FP1 session curtailed after just five minutes due to localised CCTV issues, which led to an extended FP2 session to recover some of the lost track time.
Hamilton and George Russell eventually topped the hectic extended second practice in an one-two finish for Mercedes, in a session which saw two red flags and massive track evolution amidst threats of incoming rainfall.
Now here is a full roundup of FP1 and FP2 for 2023 Canadian Grand Prix.
FP1
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez were first out on track as part of a planned extensive testing programme in the opening session, having ventured to the end of the pit lane two minutes before the session’s start.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly however suffered a suspected driveshaft failure on the run to Turn 8 where he stopped his car, only for the clutch to disengage and Gasly was unable to engage it again as the red flag came out in the fifth minute.
Gasly’s stoppage prevented teams from getting meaningful running as Bottas set the early pace with 1m 18.728 on mediums, ahead of Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso who were on soft tyres as only 12 drivers managed to set a lap time.
Local CCTV issues which arose during the red flag further compounded the lack of running, with FIA unable to resume the session once Gasly’s car had been removed from the track and teams instead forced to wait in the pits.
During the red flag, Mercedes sent Hamilton and Russell to the end of the pit lane anticipating a restart, only to have to wheel both drivers back to their garages because the local CCTV issue wasn’t communicated in time before they ventured out into the pit lane.
Our W14s were waiting at the pit lane exit, but an issue at Race Control has delayed the session restarting. Was only communicated when the drivers got to the end of the pit lane but both cars have been pushed back to the garage.
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) June 16, 2023
The session consequently wasn’t resumed with confirmation coming in the 46th minute of what was a curtailed session, with FP2 instead extended to 90 minutes and brought forward to start 30 minutes earlier than scheduled.
Bottas meanwhile was confirmed as the fastest driver out of those who set a lap time in FP1 as he, Oscar Piastri, Kevin Magnussen, Nico Hulkenberg, Guanyu Zhou, Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc and Nyck De Vries set their lap times on medium tyres.
Stroll, Alonso, Perez and Verstappen meanwhile set their lap times on the soft tyre, whilst eight drivers failed to even set a lap time.
| Position | Driver | Team | Time |
| 1 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 1m 18.728 |
| 2 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | + 0.447 |
| 3 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | + 1.079 |
| 4 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | + 1.426 |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | + 1.503 |
| 6 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | + 2,768 |
| 7 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | + 5.317 |
| 8 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | + 5.608 |
| 9 | Gunayu Zhou | Alfa Romeo | + 6.233 |
| 10 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | + 7.263 |
| 11 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | + 8.081 |
| 12 | Nyck De Vries | AlphaTauri | + 13.546 |
| 13 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | No Time |
| 14 | Lando Norris | McLaren | No Time |
| 15 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | No Time |
| 16 | Alex Albon | Williams | No Time |
| 17 | Logan Sargeant | Williams | No Time |
| 18 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | No Time |
| 19 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | No Time |
| 20 | George Russell | Mercedes | No Time |
FP2
Having topped FP1, Bottas was first out on track for FP2 and set the initial pace of 1m 16.895 on medium tyres, although his time was bettered by Leclerc, Perez and Verstappen.
Bottas wrestled back the quickest time in the seventh minute with 1m 16.330 but Sainz went 0.471 seconds faster just moments later, before Leclerc then Verstappen went even quicker a minute later but Perez posted 1m 15.230 in the 12th minute to go top.
Gasly however went 0.006s quicker a minute later but Verstappen posted 1m 14.726 to go quicker in the 15th minute, but Leclerc went 0.150s faster three minutes later only for Sainz to produce 1m 14.196 in the 21st minute.
Leclerc responded with 1m 14.094 in the 24th minute but the red flag came out five minutes later, after Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg suffered a power unit failure on the start-finish straight.
The session resumed in the 38th minute as attention switched to Qualifying simulations, in which Sainz posted 1m 13.844 to go top in the 42nd minute.
Red flags however were back out a minute later after Ocon stopped with a clutch issue at Turn 9 but the session resumed five minutes later.
Mercedes had spent the majority of the opening 60 minutes sat firmly in the midpack until Russell unexpectedly posted 1m 13.745 to go fastest in the 61st minute.
Hamilton however found a further 0.027s to top FP2 with 1m 13.718 in a Mercedes one-two ahead of Sainz, Alonso and Leclerc.
Race simulations in the final half hour quietly flew by despite Piastri clipping the Wall of Champions, whilst rain slowly creeped towards the circuit and hit the track in the final ten minutes.
| Position | Driver | Team | Time |
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1m 13.718 |
| 2 | George Russell | Mercedes | + 0.027 |
| 3 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | + 0.126 |
| 4 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | + 0.326 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | + 0.376 |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | + 0.424 |
| 7 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | + 0.503 |
| 8 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | + 0.532 |
| 9 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | + 0.701 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | + 0.759 |
| 11 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | + 0.815 |
| 12 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | + 0.826 |
| 13 | Lando Noriis | McLaren | + 0.899 |
| 14 | Guanyu Zhou | Alfa Romeo | + 1.093 |
| 15 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | + 1.223 |
| 16 | Nyck De Vries | AlphaTauri | + 1.284 |
| 17 | Alex Albon | Williams | + 1.285 |
| 18 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | + 1.374 |
| 19 | Logan Sargeant | Williams | + 1.708 |
| 20 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | + 2.651 |
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