Max Verstappen quickest again at FP2 in Montreal, Charles Leclerc second and Lewis Hamilton struggling

Max Verstappen was quickest in the second practice session at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal on Friday.

The reigning champion was quickest in the first session as well, as the Red Bull team looked to maintain their momentum after gaining the drivers’ championship lead at Monaco before moving further ahead last weekend at Azerbaijan.

With new changes aimed at improving the porpoising problems, Mercedes driver George Russell complained of ‘massive hopping’ on the track, and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz mentioned that, ‘bouncing is really bad,’ to his team back in the pits. Russell was seventh quickest, and Sainz third, with his teammate Charles Leclerc in second.

Fernando Alonso surprised in the first session as the third fastest, and in the second he impressed again at fifth, with Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel taking fourth ahead of him. There were worries for Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas who had to be called in to deal with a fault, a concerning development after he retired last weekend as part of a four-vehicle series of retirements for Ferrari-engine cars.

While Verstappen was quickest, stablemate Sergio Perez placed outside the top 10, with team principal Christian Horner saying during the session that: “Setup is the key thing, both trying different things. Max is pretty happy with the balance he’s got, but Checo less so.”

Perez could only manage the 11th quickest lap, while Lewis Hamilton was well back in 13th.

With dark grey clouds threatening to soak the track as the session ended, there must be concerns that the third free practice session and qualifying – both on Saturday – will be more demanding propositions.