F1 Canadian Grand Prix LIVE: FP2 results and standings with Lewis Hamilton fastest in Montreal
The Formula 1 paddock heads to Montreal next for the Canadian Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen won his third race in a row with a cruise of a victory in Spain last time out, with his lead in the F1 world championship now 53 points from Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez.
It was an improved weekend in Barcelona for Mercedes though, with their revamped car showing improvements as Lewis Hamilton and George Russell came home second and third respectively. There was disappointment for Fernando Alonso though, who only finished seventh, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished outside the points in 11th. Verstappen won last year’s race in Montreal, seeing off Carlos Sainz in second.
FP1 on Friday was abandoned early on due to a CCTV issue at the track, while Lewis Hamilton was fastest in second practice later in the day.
Follow live coverage from the Canadian Grand Prix with The Independent - FP2 now starts at 9:30pm (BST).
F1 PRACTICE - CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
Lewis Hamilton goes quickest in a 90-minute FP2 session
First practice at the Canadian Grand Prix was halted due to CCTV issues
COMMENT: Ferrari’s F1 flaws all the more baffling after shock success at Le Mans
Lewis Hamilton plays down talk of imminent new Mercedes deal
F1 commentator sacked from BBC role after ‘inappropriate touching’
FP2 LEADERBOARD
23:21 , Kieran Jackson
🏁 FP2 CLASSIFICATION 🏁
Lewis Hamilton on top for FP2 in Canada! #CanadianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/8RgrKs73Kl— Formula 1 (@F1) June 16, 2023
FP2 finished!
23:04 , Kieran Jackson
A few cars are giving the wet running a go at the end of FP2, with the track now extremely damp.
“Good weather for ducks,” remarks Valtteri Bottas!
That’s that then for all the running on Friday!
It's now very wet out on track 🌧️ pic.twitter.com/4QC42atmgx
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 16, 2023
Correction: rain shower has just hit the track!
22:57 , Kieran Jackson
Cars are all coming in now, with around four minutes to go, as a heavy rain shower hits the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve!
Rain has just missed the circuit in Montreal!
22:54 , Kieran Jackson
It’s extremely gusty in Montreal... but it’s not raining!
It has been declared, bizarrely, a wet track and about half the grid are on intermediate tyres!
That means it should be it for competitive laps - here’s the current top-10:
1-10: Hamilton, Russell, Sainz, Alonso, Leclerc, Verstappen, Bottas, Perez, Stroll, Gasly
Lewis Hamilton goes fastest in FP2!
22:38 , Kieran Jackson
Mercedes one-two at the top of the standings with 25 minutes left of FP2!
Lewis Hamilton is first with a 1:13:718, with George Russell 0.027 secs down on his team-mate.
Carlos Sainz is in third, 0.125 secs down on Hamilton, with Fernando Alonso in fourth - 0.326 secs down.
5-10: Leclerc, Verstappen, Bottas, Perez, Stroll, Gasly.
Rain expected in five minutes...
Latest on Ocon’s situation:
22:31 , Kieran Jackson
Alpine statement: “Esteban stopped the car as a precaution due to a suspected loss of water pressure on his car.
“The team will investigate the cause after the session.”
FP2 back underway - again!
22:27 , Kieran Jackson
Esteban Ocon’s car quickly moved out of the way and now the 18 cars without issues are, more or less, all back out on track.
Lewis Hamilton goes sixth-fastest in his first run on soft tyres, five-tenths off Carlos Sainz up top - with the Spaniard taking first from Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc (+0.250 secs)
RED FLAG!
22:14 , Kieran Jackson
No sooner had we got underway...
The Alpine of Esteban Ocon has stopped just past turn 9, stranded!
Not sure what the issue is... it was a driveshaft for his team-mate Pierre Gasly earlier.
“Stop the car, stop the car,” the Frenchman is told over team radio.
Another Red Flag! 🚩
This time it's Esteban Ocon who is told to stop the car over team radio 📻 pic.twitter.com/Ag4n1rUTWS— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 16, 2023
FP2 resumes!
22:12 , Kieran Jackson
Nico Hulkenberg’s Haas has been rolled back into the pits and we’re back underway in FP2.
Around 50 minutes left: most cars now putting the fresh soft tyres on for some flying laps...
Current FP2 standings with 30 mins gone:
22:08 , Kieran Jackson
Charles Leclerc now on top with a 1:14:049, with Max Verstappen in second - 0.074 seconds behind.
Carlos Sainz is third, +0.102 secs behind his team-mate, with Valtteri Bottas (+0.546 secs) fourth and Pierre Gasly (+0.970 secs) in fifth, on mediums!
6-10: Piastri, Magnussen, Perez, Albon, Norris (mediums)
Lewis Hamilton 19th and George Russell 20th but don’t panic Mercedes’ fans! They’re on a different approach in this session and are performing their race-runs first, before qualifying simulations later.
RED FLAG - Nico Hulkenberg’s engine has blown!
22:00 , Kieran Jackson
Smoke pouring out the back of the Haas on the main straight - that’s it for the German’s second practice session!
Marshals prompt to the scene now with the fire extinguishers....
RED FLAG! 🚩
Smoke pours out of Nico Hülkenberg's Haas in FP2 😮 pic.twitter.com/RRrofa2ieG— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 16, 2023
10 minutes gone in FP2:
21:40 , Kieran Jackson
Max Verstappen, two-tenths up at the top of the leaderboard, not happy despite his time: “These downshifts are a joke.”
Charles Leclerc (+0.190 secs) is in second, with Sergio Perez (+0.383 secs) third and Carlos Sainz (+0.526 secs) fourth.
5-10: Norris, Alonso, Bottas, Stroll, Magnussen
FP2 is underway!
21:32 , Kieran Jackson
Valtteri Bottas - quickest in the five minutes of running in FP1 - leads the pack out in second practice as the sun sets in Montreal!
Rain was forecast for tonight, but no downpours as of yet.
George Russell starts just to the side of the pack in the pit-lane, as he attempts a practice race-start...
FIA statement
21:29 , Kieran Jackson
“The local organisers have now completed their work to resolve the CCTV issues and following a test of the system the delay in the feed appears to have been rectified.”
FP2 will start in one minute!
Max Verstappen closes in on ‘amazing achievement’ of matching Ayrton Senna
21:26 , Kieran Jackson
Max Verstappen has admitted it is beyond his childhood dreams to draw level with Ayrton Senna’s victory tally ahead of this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix.
Verstappen heads into Sunday’s race at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve just one victory shy of the great Brazilian’s haul of 41 after winning five of the opening seven rounds in his dominant Red Bull machine.
Verstappen was not even born when Senna was killed at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, but a victory here would take the 25-year-old into joint fifth in the pantheon of F1 winners.
Full quotes below:
Max Verstappen closes in on ‘amazing achievement’ of matching Ayrton Senna
10 minutes away from FP2!
21:20 , Kieran Jackson
A reminder that second practice starts at 9:30pm (BST) - in 10 minutes! - and will run for 90 minutes after the issues encountered in FP1!
Constructors’ Standings ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix!
21:15 , Kieran Jackson
1) Red Bull - 287 points
2) Mercedes - 152 points
3) Aston Martin - 134 points
4) Ferrari - 100 points
5) Alpine - 40 points
6) McLaren - 17 points
7) Haas - 8 points
8) Alfa Romeo - 8 points
9) AlphaTauri - 2 points
10) Williams - 1 point
F1 commentator sacked from BBC role after ‘inappropriate touching’
21:02 , Kieran Jackson
F1 commentator Jack Nicholls has lost his job at BBC Radio 5 Live after complaints of “inappropriate touching” which led to his dismissal from his lead commentator role with Formula E.
An investigation was launched by Formula E after a formal complaint of inappropriate behaviour in March and allegations of “inappropriate touching” were made by three individuals, one of whom had been in a relationship with the commentator.
Now Nicholls, who combined his role with Formula E alongside commentating on F1 races for 5 Live, has also lost his job with IMG, who provide radio F1 coverage for the BBC.
Full story below:
F1 commentator sacked from BBC role after ‘inappropriate touching’
Driver Standings ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix!
20:45 , Kieran Jackson
1) Max Verstappen - 170 points
2) Sergio Perez - 117 points
3) Fernando Alonso - 99 points
4) Lewis Hamilton - 87 points
5) George Russell - 65 points
6) Carlos Sainz - 58 points
7) Charles Leclerc - 42 points
8) Lance Stroll - 35 points
9) Esteban Ocon - 25 points
10) Pierre Gasly - 15 points
11) Lando Norris - 12 points
12) Nico Hulkenberg - 6 points
13) Oscar Piastri - 5 points
14) Valtteri Bottas - 4 points
15) Zhou Guanyu - 4 points
16) Yuki Tsunoda - 2 points
17) Kevin Magnussen - 2 points
18) Alex Albon - 1 point
19) Nyck de Vries - 0 points
20) Logan Sargeant - 0 points
20:29 , Kieran Jackson
Lewis Hamilton plays down talk of imminent new Mercedes deal
Lewis Hamilton has knocked back Mercedes boss Toto Wolff’s claim that he is on the brink of signing a new contract.
Earlier this week, team principal Wolff said Hamilton’s contract renewal would be resolved “in days rather than weeks”, adding that he was “trying hard” to finalise terms with his superstar driver before this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix.
But speaking in Montreal on Thursday, Hamilton, 38, said: “I don’t have a huge amount to say on the contract.”
Full quotes below:
Lewis Hamilton plays down talk of imminent new Mercedes deal
Ferrari’s F1 flaws all the more baffling after shock success at Le Mans
20:11 , Kieran Jackson
Comment by Kieran Jackson
Seven races into the Formula 1 season and the moment has finally arrived. You can only bypass the trials and tribulations for so long before the tomfoolery of the sport’s most prestigious team must be dissected, head on.
It’s time to talk about Ferrari.
To say the 2023 campaign thus far has been underwhelming for the Scuderia would be in itself an understatement. Zero wins. Only one podium – in Baku – and even that was from a pole position start. Last time out in Barcelona, Charles Leclerc qualified a dismal 19th, failing to recover to a points-finish on Sunday. Carlos Sainz qualified second but could only manage fourth on raceday.
Yet what makes Ferrari’s current infamy in motorsport’s most famous competition more baffling is their display in motorsport’s most famous endurance race.
Full piece below:
Ferrari’s F1 flaws all the more baffling after shock success at Le Mans
Canadian Grand Prix practice descends into farce after bizarre CCTV blackout
19:44 , Kieran Jackson
Practice at the Canadian Grand Prix descended into an early farce on Friday after FP1 was halted due to CCTV issues.
More detail below:
Canadian Grand Prix practice descends into farce after bizarre CCTV blackout
FP2 will be extended by 30 minutes!
19:26 , Kieran Jackson
No running will take place in FP1.
But, FP2 will be extended by 30 minutes, starting half-an-hour earlier. That means it’ll be a 90-minute session starting at 9:30pm (BST)!
An obvious compromise, me thinks.
FIA update on practice:
19:17 , Kieran Jackson
“The clock will continue to tick down for FP1, and there must be 2.5 hours between practices.
“But they’re looking at extending FP2 to make up for the lost running.”
Practice update in Canada
19:10 , Kieran Jackson
There is now talk that FP2 later could be extended by 30 minutes in order to give drivers adequate time on track!
Have never known anything like this to start an F1 race weekend!
20 minutes left in FP1. Still red-flagged, I’m afraid folks.
FIA confirmation on continued red flag in FP1!
18:59 , Kieran Jackson
“The session restart has been delayed due to issues with the local CCTV infrastructure around the circuit. The local organisers are working to resolve the issue and until that time we can’t restart for safety reasons.”
Still a RED FLAG in FP1..
18:53 , Kieran Jackson
Pierre Gasly’s car has been wheeled away - but an issue in race control regarding safety cameras on track means the session is yet to restart!
38 minutes left. Bit of a farce start to the weekend this...
Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer on Gasly’s car:
18:40 , Kieran Jackson
“Don’t know the cause. Hopefully we can get the car back and see the problem.”
It’ll be tricky for Alpine to get that car back and get it back out this session - it’s on the outside of turn 8. right on the opposite end of the track to the pits!
Clock ticks to 50 minutes left...
The reason why the red flag has been brought out 🚩 pic.twitter.com/tDj5cPSmW2
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 16, 2023
RED FLAG after just five minutes in FP1!
18:36 , Kieran Jackson
Pierre Gasly’s Alpine has stopped on the side of the track... after just five minutes!
“I’ve lost the driveshaft,” says Gasly.
Esteban Ocon, his team-mate, is also still in the garage with a car currently not ready to go out on track!
Nightmare start to the weekend for Alpien!
FP1 is underway at the Canadian Grand Prix!
18:30 , Kieran Jackson
We’re underway with first practice at the Canadian Grand Prix!
Who can set the early pace in overcast (but dry, for now) conditions in Montreal? Max Verstappen topped all the sessions in Spain, can someone else rise to the top of the leaderboard today?
Verstappen’s Red Bull is the first car out on track...
Constructors' Standings ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix!
18:28 , Kieran Jackson
1) Red Bull - 287 points
2) Mercedes - 152 points
3) Aston Martin - 134 points
4) Ferrari - 100 points
5) Alpine - 40 points
6) McLaren - 17 points
7) Haas - 8 points
8) Alfa Romeo - 8 points
9) AlphaTauri - 2 points
10) Williams - 1 point
Weather update in Montreal!
18:25 , Kieran Jackson
It’s wet at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve! And it looks set to be damp throughout the race weekend...
Driver Standings ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix!
18:19 , Kieran Jackson
1) Max Verstappen - 170 points
2) Sergio Perez - 117 points
3) Fernando Alonso - 99 points
4) Lewis Hamilton - 87 points
5) George Russell - 65 points
6) Carlos Sainz - 58 points
7) Charles Leclerc - 42 points
8) Lance Stroll - 35 points
9) Esteban Ocon - 25 points
10) Pierre Gasly - 15 points
11) Lando Norris - 12 points
12) Nico Hulkenberg - 6 points
13) Oscar Piastri - 5 points
14) Valtteri Bottas - 4 points
15) Zhou Guanyu - 4 points
16) Yuki Tsunoda - 2 points
17) Kevin Magnussen - 2 points
18) Alex Albon - 1 point
19) Nyck de Vries - 0 points
20) Logan Sargeant - 0 points
F1 commentator sacked from BBC role after ‘inappropriate touching’
18:11 , Kieran Jackson
F1 commentator Jack Nicholls has lost his job at BBC Radio 5 Live after complaints of “inappropriate touching” which led to his dismissal from his lead commentator role with Formula E.
An investigation was launched by Formula E after a formal complaint of inappropriate behaviour in March and allegations of “inappropriate touching” were made by three individuals, one of whom had been in a relationship with the commentator.
Now Nicholls, who combined his role with Formula E alongside commentating on F1 races for 5 Live, has also lost his job with IMG, who provide radio F1 coverage for the BBC.
Full story below:
F1 commentator sacked from BBC role after ‘inappropriate touching’
Who can stop Max Verstappen this weekend?
17:59 , Kieran Jackson
Three wins in a row. A victory in Canada last year. Max Verstappen is the strong favourite to add to his win-tally this Sunday.
Verstappen heads into Sunday’s race at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve just one victory shy of the great Brazilian Ayrton Senna’s haul of 41 after winning five of the opening seven rounds in his dominant Red Bull machine.
Verstappen was not even born when Senna was killed at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, but a victory here would take the 25-year-old into joint fifth in the pantheon of F1 winners.
Ferrari’s F1 flaws all the more baffling after shock success at Le Mans
17:49 , Kieran Jackson
Comment by Kieran Jackson
Seven races into the Formula 1 season and the moment has finally arrived. You can only bypass the trials and tribulations for so long before the tomfoolery of the sport’s most prestigious team must be dissected, head on.
It’s time to talk about Ferrari.
To say the 2023 campaign thus far has been underwhelming for the Scuderia would be in itself an understatement. Zero wins. Only one podium – in Baku – and even that was from a pole position start. Last time out in Barcelona, Charles Leclerc qualified a dismal 19th, failing to recover to a points-finish on Sunday. Carlos Sainz qualified second but could only manage fourth on raceday.
Yet what makes Ferrari’s current infamy in motorsport’s most famous competition more baffling is their display in motorsport’s most famous endurance race.
Full piece below:
Ferrari’s F1 flaws all the more baffling after shock success at Le Mans
Lewis Hamilton plays down talk of imminent new Mercedes deal
17:46 , Kieran Jackson
Lewis Hamilton has knocked back Mercedes boss Toto Wolff’s claim that he is on the brink of signing a new contract.
Earlier this week, team principal Wolff said Hamilton’s contract renewal would be resolved “in days rather than weeks”, adding that he was “trying hard” to finalise terms with his superstar driver before this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix.
But speaking in Montreal on Thursday, Hamilton, 38, said: “I don’t have a huge amount to say on the contract.”
Full quotes below:
Lewis Hamilton plays down talk of imminent new Mercedes deal
F1 practice at the Canadian Grand Prix
17:43 , Kieran Jackson
F1 is back this weekend at the Canadian Grand Prix as Max Verstappen looks to keep up his red-hot streak this season!
The Dutchman has won the last three races - in Miami, Monaco and Barcelona - and now has a 53-point lead in the world championship from Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez.
Mercedes will be looking to maintain their performance after a double podium last time out in Spain, while both Aston Martin and Ferrari will be striving for more after frustrating weekends in Spain.
Today, first practice in Montreal starts at 6:30pm (BST) while FP2 is at 10pm!
