Alonso tops chaotic session

Fernando Alonso topped the timesheets in a crash-filled second practice session for the Canadian Grand Prix.

Ferrari driver sets fastest time in interrupted second practice

Fernando Alonso topped the timesheets in a crash-filled second practice session for the Canadian Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver set a time of 1 minute 15.107 seconds to finish well clear of reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel. But the session was interrupted by three crashes as Adrian Sutil, Kamui Kobayashi and Jerome D'Ambrosio hit the wall, with the latter two crashes bringing out the red flags. Vettel had earlier halted first practice when he crashed into the 'Wall of Champions' but recovered well to be best of the rest behind Alonso, whose team-mate Felipe Massa was third. Lewis Hamilton was fourth ahead of McLaren team-mate Jenson Button while another British driver, Paul di Resta, was an impressive sixth in his Force India. Di Resta even enjoyed a spell in first place early in the session before Alonso, Mark Webber and Vettel took it in turns to top the charts.

Pits

Many drivers headed back to the pits after the initial rush of laps before going back out on long, heavily-fuelled runs which made almost no impact on the quickest times. But Alonso eventually climbed into top spot and would not be overhauled as the end of the session was marked by numerous incidents. Sutil became the first driver to hit the wall as he came to grief at the exit of Turn 7, bringing out the yellow flags. But the session had to stopped completely when Kobayashi speared into the wall after getting out of shape in Turn 4, leaving debris from his Sauber strewn across the track. Less than a minute had elapsed since the restart when D'Ambrosio contacted the wall and the red flags were brought out again to clear away the wreckage from his Virgin. Alonso would not be beaten after the session resumed again, while his fellow Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa finished 18th in the second Sauber after stepping in to replace Sergio Perez at the last minute. Times
01. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m15.107s 34 laps
02. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m15.476s + 0.369 29 laps
03. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m15.601s + 0.494 33 laps
04. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m15.977s + 0.870 26 laps
05. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m15.989s + 0.882 25 laps
06. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m16.089s + 0.982 34 laps
07. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m16.102s + 0.995 28 laps
08. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m16.324s + 1.217 32 laps
09. Nick Heidfeld Renault 1m16.422s + 1.315 32 laps
10. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m16.687s + 1.580 28 laps
11. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m16.905s + 1.798 16 laps
12. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 1m16.941s + 1.834 39 laps
13. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m17.051s + 1.944 32 laps
14. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m17.684s + 2.577 34 laps
15. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m17.757s + 2.650 20 laps
16. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Renault 1m18.470s + 3.363 33 laps
17. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 1m18.482s + 3.375 38 laps
18. Pedro de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1m18.536s + 3.429 14 laps
19. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m18.601s + 3.494 38 laps
20. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m19.209s + 4.102 28 laps
21. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m19.810s + 4.703 25 laps
22. Tonio Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth 1m20.284s + 5.177 31 laps
23. Narain Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth 1m20.311s + 5.204 38 laps
24. Jerome D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1m20.922s + 5.815 26 laps