Alonso fastest during rain-affected FP2 in Canada

“I smell a bit of smoke,” Verstappen reported from his RB20 as the hour headed towards its halfway point. With the Dutchman having safely gotten out of the car in the Red Bull garage, the mechanics set to investigating the problem.

Traffic was becoming an issue out on track, with the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz voicing their frustration. However, as the rain increased again, everybody soon returned to the pit lane, leading to a lull in the action while Alonso sat at the top of the timesheets.

FP1: Norris leads Sainz and Leclerc during wet first practice in Canada

It was confirmed that Verstappen would not be rejoining the session owing to an ERS issue on his car, but there was a late burst of action for the rest in the latter stages, with many bolting on the intermediate tyres for their final laps.

While the track became increasingly dry, Alonso’s earlier time of 1m 15.810s in the Aston Martin remained unbeaten, with the Mercedes of George Russell following in P2 while Stroll slotted into P3. Leclerc – who suffered a spin later in the session – claimed P4, from the RB of Daniel Ricciardo in P5.