Max also quickest in free practice 2 in Canada: 'A good day'
Published on 08 June 2018 by Raymond Snip
Max Verstappen set the fastest time in the second free practice leading up to the Canadian Grand Prix. Earlier in the day, the Dutchman also was quickest in FP1. At the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Kimi Raikkonen, in his Ferrari, came in second, while Daniel Ricciardo finished third for Aston Martin Red Bull Racing.
"It was a good day", Max noted after the session. "The car is working well. We are still lacking a little bit of top speed, you could see that in the long runs. Mercedes looks very quick. But we are not far behind. In general a positive day."
At the start of the second session the weather is nice. It is 2 in the afternoon local time in Montreal when the lights go green. Kimi Raikkonen is the first driver to get out on track. Carlos Sainz quickly follows suit. At the beginning of the session none of the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing drivers are on track.
After eleven minutes the first Red Bull appears on track. Daniel Ricciardo left the garage on the super soft tyres. The super softs this weekend are the hardest compound that Pirelli brought to Canada. With a purple second sector the Australian scores a third fastest time.
After 15 minutes Max shows up on track. His car equipped with a set of super soft tyres as well. The first lap is not representative and should be seen as a warm-up lap. In the following lap he is quick and his time puts the young Dutchman on P2. Moments later, Valtteri Bottas takes P2 from Max.
After about half an hour into the session, Sainz hits the wall and causes a code red. The Spaniard employed by Renault damages his diffuser, floor and suspension but is able to return to the pits. Meanwhile, Ricciardo stays inside, according to reports from the pits due to problems with his power unit.
After the track is released, Max, who has fallen back a bit, appears on track again. Within a few laps he manages to take back the second spot behind fastest man Hamilton and return to his team.
Halfway through the session, the fast Dutchman reappears on track for a qualifying simulation. With a new set of hyper-soft tyres under his Red Bull, his first flying lap puts him on P1 in front of Raikkonen.
After 55 minutes in the session, Stoffel Vandoorne has a flat. The Belgian hit the wall at the end of turn nine, resulting in a virtual safety car situation. Everyone returns to the pits.
When the track is released again, Sebastian Vettel appears on track on a new set of hyper softs. Max is out as well. His Red Bull has a used set of hyper-soft tyres installed and he starts a long run. Vettel is not able to keep up with the front runners and remains at more than eight tenths on P4.
Ricciardo’s issue seems to be resolved, with a little over fifteen minutes left the Australian is able to go out again. Almost everyone is working on their race simulation, except Vandoorne and Sainz. They are still inside after earlier incidents.
In the final phase, Max switches to a set of used super-soft tyres. His teammate Ricciardo improves to third place. A slower third sector hold the previous Grand Prix winner back.
Results second free practice Canada:
| pos | driver | team | time | gap | laps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | VER | Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer | 1:12.198 | 39 | |
| 2 | Kimi Räikkönen | RAI | Ferrari | 1:12.328 | +0.130s | 42 |
| 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | RIC | Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer | 1:12.603 | +0.405s | 17 |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | HAM | Mercedes | 1:12.777 | +0.579s | 39 |
| 5 | Sebastian Vettel | VET | Ferrari | 1:12.985 | +0.787s | 24 |
| 6 | Valtteri Bottas | BOT | Mercedes | 1:13.061 | +0.863s | 40 |
| 7 | Romain Grosjean | GRO | Haas Ferrari | 1:13.620 | +1.422s | 34 |
| 8 | Esteban Ocon | OCO | Force India Mercedes | 1:13.747 | +1.549s | 40 |
| 9 | Sergio Perez | PER | Force India Mercedes | 1:13.754 | +1.556s | 40 |
| 10 | Fernando Alonso | ALO | McLaren Renault | 1:13.866 | +1.668s | 30 |
| 11 | Charles Leclerc | LEC | Sauber Ferrari | 1:13.884 | +1.686s | 39 |
| 12 | Brendon Hartley | HAR | Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda | 1:13.889 | +1.691s | 42 |
| 13 | Kevin Magnussen | MAG | Haas Ferrari | 1:13.956 | +1.758s | 39 |
| 14 | Nico Hulkenberg | HUL | Renault | 1:13.967 | +1.769s | 37 |
| 15 | Marcus Ericsson | ERI | Sauber Ferrari | 1:14.108 | +1.910s | 41 |
| 16 | Stoffel Vandoorne | VAN | McLaren Renault | 1:14.167 | +1.969s | 14 |
| 17 | Carlos Sainz | SAI | Renault | 1:14.433 | +2.235s | 9 |
| 18 | Pierre Gasly | GAS | Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda | 1:14.486 | +2.288s | 39 |
| 19 | Lance Stroll | STR | Williams Mercedes | 1:14.703 | +2.505s | 40 |
| 20 | Sergey Sirotkin | SIR | Williams Mercedes | 1:14.782 | +2.584s | 35 |
