During FP1 of the Canadian Grand Prix, the session had to be halted when Pierre Gasly from Alpine experienced a driveshaft problem, forcing him to stop between Turns 7 and 8. After clearing Gasly’s car from the track, the session was expected to resume, but it remained suspended.
Mercedes, confident that the green flag conditions would soon be reinstated, positioned Lewis Hamilton and George Russell at the end of the pitlane. However, as minutes passed without any developments, the mechanics had to hurriedly wheel the cars back to the garages.
Approximately 20 minutes into FP1, the FIA announced that the session could not restart due to malfunctioning CCTV cameras around the Montreal circuit. Consequently, the pitlane had to remain closed. The FIA further clarified that the CCTV issues had caused synchronization problems with the cameras, rendering it unsafe to resume running.
With only ten minutes remaining in the session, the FIA declared that FP1 would not resume, resulting in Valtteri Bottas ending practice on top after completing just three laps.
To compensate for the lost time, the stewards approved a request to extend the duration of FP2 by 30 minutes. As a result, FP2 will commence 30 minutes earlier than its original schedule of 5pm.
The stewards released a statement: “We are modifying the Official Programme of the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix by extending the duration of Free Practice Session 2 by 30 minutes. Free Practice Session 2 will now start at 1630hrs. According to Article 30.5 of the Formula One Sporting Regulations, the tyres that were required to be returned after Free Practice 1 should now be returned no later than two hours after Free Practice 2.”
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about F1 Canadian GP FP2 extension
Why was the F1 Canadian GP FP2 extended?
The F1 Canadian GP FP2 was extended due to a CCTV issue during FP1. The session had to be halted, and the malfunctioning cameras caused safety concerns, preventing the session from resuming as planned. To make up for the lost time, the stewards approved a 30-minute extension for FP2, allowing for additional practice before the race.
3 comments
mercedes sent hamilton and russel 2 pitlane but they had to wheel the cars back to garages. not cool, man! but at least they extended fp2, so we’ll get more practice time.
fp1 session had to stop bcoz of gasly’s issue, but fp2 got extended!! great news for the fans who love to see more action on the track.
cctv cameras not working? seriously?! safety is important, so they couldn’t restart fp1. glad they explained why. but hey, fp2 will start earlier now, so let’s get ready for some fast laps!