There are Friday afternoons in Montreal that pass with the gentle hum of expectation, and then there are those that detonate with the kind of drama that makes you question whether you’re watching a practice session or the final act of a Shakespearean tragedy. The 2025 Canadian Grand Prix Free Practice 2 was, without exaggeration, the latter. If you tuned in expecting a routine Mercedes parade or a Red Bull masterclass, you were in for a rude awakening. Instead, we were treated to a session that delivered on every front: pace, peril, and a parade of surprises that left even the most jaded paddock veterans (myself included) reaching for the archive to recall the last time Montreal’s tarmac was so treacherous, and the pecking order so deliciously scrambled.
The Numbers Don’t Lie: FP2 Results Table
Let’s begin, as all good stories do, with the facts. Here are the official FP2 times from Montreal, 13 June 2025:
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:12.123 | 32 | |
| 2 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:12.151 | +0.028 | 31 |
| 3 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:12.411 | +0.288 | 32 |
| 4 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:12.445 | +0.322 | 36 |
| 5 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:12.458 | +0.335 | 30 |
| 6 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:12.562 | +0.439 | 31 |
| 7 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:12.631 | +0.508 | 36 |
| 8 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:12.653 | +0.530 | 33 |
| 9 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:12.666 | +0.543 | 30 |
| 10 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:12.751 | +0.628 | 29 |
| 11 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 1:12.799 | +0.676 | 30 |
| 12 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:12.874 | +0.751 | 33 |
| 13 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | 1:12.896 | +0.773 | 31 |
| 14 | Nico Hülkenberg | Sauber | 1:12.914 | +0.791 | 32 |
| 15 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | 1:12.939 | +0.816 | 34 |
| 16 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:13.080 | +0.957 | 35 |
| 17 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:13.175 | +1.052 | 32 |
| 18 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:13.898 | +1.775 | 32 |
| 19 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 2 | ||
| 20 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 0 |
Source: F1i.com FP2 Results
Russell’s Return: Mercedes Back on Top
If you’d told me a year ago that George Russell would be topping FP2 in Montreal, I’d have asked if you’d been sampling the local maple syrup a bit too liberally. Yet here we are: Russell, with a lap of 1:12.123, not only led the session but did so with a confidence that has been missing from Mercedes for far too long. The Silver Arrows, battered and bruised by the Red Bull and McLaren onslaughts of recent seasons, suddenly looked like the team that once made the hybrid era their personal playground.
Russell’s performance was no fluke. The Mercedes looked planted, nimble, and—dare I say it—almost reminiscent of the 2014-2020 juggernaut. Kimi Antonelli, the prodigious Italian rookie, slotted into third, underlining that this was no one-lap wonder. Mercedes, it seems, have found something in the Montreal setup that has eluded them elsewhere this year.
George Russell was setting the early pace, clocking a 1:12.887 with the soft C6 tyres bolted on to his Mercedes.
PlanetF1.com
For a team that has spent much of 2025 in the shadow of McLaren’s resurgence and Red Bull’s relentless consistency, this was a statement. Whether it’s a harbinger of a new era or just a flash in the pan, only time will tell. But for now, Toto Wolff can allow himself a rare smile.
Norris and McLaren: So Close, Yet So Far
Lando Norris, the man who has made a habit of being the bridesmaid in 2025, was just 0.028 seconds adrift of Russell. McLaren, who have been the class of the field in recent months, looked strong but not invincible. Norris’s lap was a thing of beauty—smooth, aggressive, and just a hair’s breadth from perfection. Yet, as has so often been the case, it was not quite enough.
Oscar Piastri, the championship leader, was sixth—a result that would have been cause for celebration in the dark days of McLaren-Honda, but now feels almost disappointing. The papaya cars were quick, but the Mercedes resurgence has thrown a spanner in the works.
McLaren continued to lap off the pace, Norris their highest runner, nine-tenths off Russell’s pace. The Brit soon unlocked a chunk of pace to shoot up to P3, soon downgraded to P4 thanks to team-mate Oscar Piastri, but still, Russell had the luxury of almost half a second over the McLarens, as Kimi Antonelli moved into position to make it a Mercedes one-two.
PlanetF1.com
For those who remember the days when McLaren and Mercedes were joined at the hip, this session felt like a throwback to the early 2000s—except now, they’re rivals once more, and the stakes are higher than ever.
Williams and Albon: The Montreal Miracle?
If you’re looking for the feel-good story of the weekend, look no further than Williams. Alex Albon, who has quietly become one of the most respected drivers on the grid, put his car fourth in FP2, just 0.322 seconds off the pace. Carlos Sainz, now in his second season with the Grove outfit, was seventh. For a team that spent much of the last decade as Formula 1’s punchline, this was a result to savor.
Albon’s performance was no accident. Williams have been steadily improving, and Montreal’s stop-start layout seems to suit their package. The sight of the blue-and-white car mixing it with the big boys is enough to warm the heart of any F1 romantic.
Ferrari’s Friday Fiasco: Leclerc Out, Hamilton Struggles
If you’re a Ferrari fan, you might want to look away now. Charles Leclerc, fresh from a heavy crash in FP1, was forced to sit out FP2 entirely as the team replaced the survival cell on his battered SF-25. The Monegasque’s absence was keenly felt, and with the clock ticking towards qualifying, Ferrari’s weekend is already on the back foot.
Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, could only manage eighth. The seven-time world champion, now in red, reported persistent rear-end instability and spent much of the session wrestling his car rather than taming it. For a man who has won in Montreal seven times, this was a sobering reminder that even legends can be humbled by the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
For Hamilton, he reported that ‘the rear keeps kicking out’ as he cut the final chicane, race engineer Riccardo Adami asked for some guidance.
PlanetF1.com
Red Bull’s Reality Check: Verstappen in the Wilderness
Max Verstappen, the reigning world champion, was a muted ninth in FP2. The Dutchman, who has made a habit of turning adversity into dominance, found himself complaining about a “nervous” car and never looked truly comfortable. Red Bull, so often the benchmark, suddenly looked mortal.
It’s tempting to draw parallels with the great champions of the past—Senna in 1992, Schumacher in 2005—when even the best are occasionally let down by their machinery. Verstappen’s struggles are a reminder that in Formula 1, the line between hero and also-ran is razor-thin.
The Montreal Menace: Crashes, Chaos, and Comebacks
Montreal has always been a circuit that punishes the unwary. This year was no exception. Lance Stroll, the local hero, crashed out at Turn 7, his Aston Martin suffering a broken steering arm. Stroll, still recovering from a hand injury, managed just two laps before his day was done. For a man who has endured more than his fair share of criticism, this was a cruel blow.
Charles Leclerc’s absence, meanwhile, was a direct result of his FP1 shunt—a reminder that even the best can be caught out by Montreal’s unforgiving walls. The Ferrari mechanics, no strangers to late-night heroics, now face a race against time to get the car ready for FP3.
Historically, Montreal has seen its share of drama in practice sessions. Derek Warwick’s massive crash in 1988 qualifying, Riccardo Paletti’s tragic accident in 1982 (albeit at the race start), and countless brushes with the “Wall of Champions” have cemented the circuit’s reputation as a true test of nerve and skill.
The Historical Echo: Mercedes and McLaren’s Canadian Rivalry
For those with long memories (or just a well-thumbed copy of the FIA yearbook), the sight of Mercedes and McLaren duking it out at the top of the timesheets is a reminder of past glories. Mercedes, dominant in the hybrid era, have often used Montreal as a barometer of their true pace. McLaren, meanwhile, have a storied history at the circuit, from Ayrton Senna’s pole laps to Lewis Hamilton’s first win in 2007.
The 2025 FP2 session felt like a throwback to those days—a time when the battle for supremacy was fought not just in the boardroom, but on the track. Whether this is the start of a new chapter or just a tantalizing glimpse of what might have been, only the rest of the weekend will tell.
The Human Element: Pressure, Pain, and Perseverance
Behind the lap times and sector splits, there are stories of resilience and redemption. Lance Stroll, driving in pain after a recent procedure, crashed out but will no doubt return. Charles Leclerc, battered but unbowed, will be desperate to make amends in qualifying. George Russell, so often the nearly man, finally has a car beneath him that can deliver.
And then there’s the ever-present specter of Montreal itself—a circuit that rewards the brave and punishes the complacent. As the sun sets over the Ile Notre-Dame, the paddock is left to ponder what Saturday will bring. If FP2 is any indication, we’re in for a wild ride.
Waste a Bit More Time
If you’re as addicted to the drama as I am, here are a few links to keep you entertained until FP3:
- Full FP2 results and analysis: F1i.com FP2 Results
- In-depth session report and quotes: PlanetF1.com FP2 Report
- Breaking news and session updates: GPFans.com FP1 & FP2 Times
