Verstappen fastest again in FP2 as Vettel threatens Mercedes

Max Verstappen was the fastest man on track during Free Practice 2 at the Canadian Grand Prix, completing a near-perfect Friday for the Dutchman.

The Ferrari cars were within touching distance, with Charles Leclerc lapping just 0.08 seconds slower than Verstappen's best, a 1:14.147.

However, Verstappen's long-run pace was strong behind the wheel of his RB18, as he had an average lap time of 1:18.1 over a 14-lap stint.

Carlos Sainz was just behind in third, with Sebastian Vettel in fourth at the start of a weekend where Aston Martin, along with the Alpine of Fernando Alonso, could be in the hunt for big points.

Mercedes, meanwhile, found themselves amongst the midfield once again at a race where they are expecting yet another far-from-perfect weekend.

Porpoising proves a bigger problem during FP2

It was a busy start to the FP2 session, with the likelihood of rain come the end of the session at 90 per cent. The rain stayed away but its threat certainly had an impact on how teams planned their session.

Verstappen had set the pace during FP1, but it was Alonso who dropped jaws with a lap on the Medium tyres that put him third fastest. He was fifth quickest during FP2.

Ferrari faced problems, with their drivers complaining of porpoising problems during FP2, issues they did not suffer severely during the earlier FP1 session.

Their complaints came on a weekend in which the FIA have taken the decision to intervene to help teams tackle the issue.

Could Aston Martin cause an upset this weekend?

Aston Martin showed sublime pace once again on Friday afternoon with Sebastian Vettel, on a tyre set matching the grid's fastest cars, at one stage lapping within half a second of the pace-setters.

The team have made dramatic improvements over recent races and have taken more than 0.7 seconds out of the gap that stood between themselves and the pole-sitting car at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.

They will be looking to threaten Mercedes this weekend, with the Brackley-based team lapping close to a second off the pace during FP2.

Lewis Hamilton was far from happy with his W13, telling his engineer at the end of the session: "This car is now undriveable, mate."

It was a bad Friday for Valtteri Bottas, however. He spent the entire session watching on from the back of the Alfa Romeo garage due to an anti-stall problem that proved impossible to fix.