Mercedes’ George Russell set the pace in the Canadian Grand Prix second practice, edging Lando Norris.

In the first session, Russell had finished 0.342 seconds behind Max Verstappen, who topped the timesheet, but he improved in the second practice.

He finished in 1:12.123, just 0.028secs ahead of Norris, who also made a big improvement, having been seventh-fastest in the earlier session.

Rookie Kimi Antonelli finished third, while current leader Oscar Piastri was back in sixth, behind Alex Albon and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso.

Verstappen, who has three wins under his belt in Montreal, struggled to maintain his early pace and managed ninth, marginally behind Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz, while Liam Lawson rounded out the top 10.

FP2 CLASSIFICATION @MercedesAMGF1 are motoring in Montreal #F1 #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/WuQzgRoFFY

— Formula 1 (@F1) June 13, 2025

It bodes well for Russell, who is aiming to take pole at the Canadian Grand Prix for the second consecutive year, something he has never managed before in his Formula One career.

McLaren had previously dominated the opening nine rounds of the season, and often topped the timesheets in practice, but mostly struggled for pace across the sessions.

Meanwhile, it was a frustrating day for Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who crashed into the barrier in the early session and was unable to take part later on in Montreal due to damage to his car.

Lance Stroll, making his return to the grid after recovering from an injury that forced him out of the Spanish Grand Prix, also crashed out early on in second practice after hitting a wall at Turn 7.