Canadian GP, ​​Russell ahead in FP2. Ferrari halfway: Hamilton 8th, Leclerc crashes

Mercedes had said they were confident ahead of the race in Canada, after a disappointing trio of races between Imola and Spain, and that was evident in the second free practice on Friday evening . Russell is ahead of everyone in Montreal in 1'12"123, ahead of Norris' McLaren by a few thousandths. Third is a good Kimi Antonelli, then Albon and Alonso. Piastri is 6th ahead of Sainz. Eighth is Hamilton's first Ferrari , with the feeling that in the event of a good qualifying (starting tonight at 10pm Italian time with live coverage on Sky Sport F1) the Reds could have their say in the race to at least get the podium. Behind the Englishman is Max Verstappen, 9th, but with an excellent race pace and reduced wear on the front left that appeared to be at the same level as the McLaren. Liam Lawson closed the top 10 in a session in which Charles Leclerc did not take part , due to the damage to the bodywork reported in the accident in Free Practice 1 caused by his mistake on turn 3 after just 15 minutes of the session (the Monegasque apologized to the team for this).

The track immediately rubberized compared to FP1 and has already given some theories: Mercedes is very fast on the flying lap (Russell was in front with both the medium and the Soft tyres), but the graining suffered after a few laps in the final race simulation is worrying. In qualifying, the yellow tyre (the C5 Pirelli for this weekend) could actually be used, compared to the Soft C6, as seen in FP3 in Imola, so much so that several drivers such as the Mercedes driver, Verstappen and Albon have tried it. Good race pace also for Hamilton, who immediately appeared in form on the Canadian track, as did Max. The feeling is that qualifying is very tight in view of the final duel on Sunday.

The rival teams will have to deal with a very strong McLaren , even if they had some problems finding the balance in FP1. In the second free practice the situation improved, with Norris one step away from Russell. The Woking team has already shown its strength in Barcelona, ​​not weakened by the introduction of the directive on flexible wings. After the victory in Monte Carlo, Norris must deal with a more consistent Piastri (5 victories in the 9 normal GPs) and already eight consecutive podiums. In the case of an additional one, he would reach nine like other drivers who became world champions in the future. For the Montreal event, the Papaya team has brought several updates such as a front wing and a revised left front suspension, as well as a rear beam wing with more downforce.

At Ferrari, however, there is a desire to continue the positive races of Monte Carlo and Spain, which brought Leclerc to the podium . Maranello can have its say for this weekend, considering a track with few medium-slow sections that have been so badly affected by the rear end this season. Charles, however, crashed immediately. The survival cell of his car had to be rebuilt from scratch and the team preferred not to rush things. The Monegasque will only have FP3 on Saturday to understand the track, before the battle for pole. Lewis wants to send a nice message on the track where he took the first pole and victory of his career (in 2007 on McLaren) , then reaching his idol Senna in 2017 in the number of poles won (65) and receiving a free 'Magic' helmet at the end of the race from the Brazilian's family. The Englishman has won more than anyone here (7 victories like Schumacher), against the three of Piquet and Verstappen.

In the meantime, Lewis has solved the problem he suffered in the race in Spain ("It was a nightmare, I worked with the team to improve the car after identifying it", he said), but he will have to be careful of both Mercedes and Red Bull. The Silver Arrows must improve in view of the race but are strong in qualifying, Red Bull goes all-in on Verstappen, considering a lost Tsunoda, but Max will have to be careful: with an additional penalty point on his driver's license, he would have a one-race disqualification (like Magnussen last year, who skipped Baku). Desperate times call for desperate measures, so much so that the Milton Keynes team has obtained the Superlicense for the 17-year-old homegrown talent Lindblad, an F2 driver with Campos, who despite being a minor got it considering a clause that rewards merit in the International Sporting Code. Williams could turn out to be the surprise of the weekend, usually always very fast on the most unloaded tracks.