Formula 2 returned for Round Three at The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Canada. After a weekend to forget in Miami, Rodin Motorsport’s Alex Dunne topped the timing sheet, alongside his teammate Martinius Stenshorne.
Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov completed the top three, just over a tenth behind the Alpine Academy Driver, looking to keep his leading Championship position stable throughout the weekend.
First Runs
Invicta Racing’s Joshua Dürksen set an installation-lap time of 1:25.319. Laurens van Hoepen quickly replaced him with a 1:24.100.
However, with just over 30 minutes remaining, the session began to come alive. Stenshorne became the first driver to dip into the 1:23s, with the Rodin driver delivering a 1:23.888 to snatch the fastest lap-time from van Hoepen.
As the circuit continued to heat up lap-after-lap, the benchmark quickly became a moving target. The Paraguayan fought back immediately, reclaiming the top spot with a notable 1:23.519, while Stenshorne’s teammate Dunne surged into second, just 0.296s adrift.
The order shifted again moments later, when Tsolov put Campos Racing at the top of the timesheet with a 1:23.124.
Van Hoepen then responded, edging ahead by the narrowest of margins – 0.019s.
An Evolving Track
Nico Varrone briefly hauled Van Amersfoort Racing into the top five as the order continued to shuffle rapidly, before attention returned to Championship leader Tsolov.
The Bulgarian driver improved the benchmark with a time of 1:22.625, putting more than a tenth over himself and Dunne. The advantage lasted only moments before the Irish driver responded, extracting more pace from the improving circuit to reclaim provisional Pole.
As the session entered its final ten minutes, the improving track conditions continued to see late improvements. Colton Herta vaulted Hitech GP into fourth with a significant leap up the order.
Behind them, Varrone returned with another stronger effort, moving into third after closing within 0.177s of Dunne’s leading time. On the next lap, Stenshorne restored a Rodin’s presence in the top three.
Contact in the Closing Stages
Rafael Villagómez brought out the yellow flag after making contact with the infamous Wall of Champions. Situated on the exit of the final corner, the barrier has caught out some of the biggest names in Formula One history, earning its reputation as one of the sport’s most notorious landmarks.
In addition, the final minute was hindered by a yellow flag brought out by Herta, after suffering a spin at Turn 1.
Results
Dunne topped the F2 Practice timings in Canada. He was followed by teammate Stenshorne, with Tsolov completing the top three.
Formula 2 will return at 14:00 local time for the Qualifying.
Featured Image Credits: Formula 2