Hamilton on top in opening practice

Montreal

Defending world champion and current series leader Lewis Hamilton survived a part-spin on his way to clocking the fastest time in yesterday’s morning's opening free practice for Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix.

Two weeks on from the team's pit-stop fiasco in Monaco, the two-time champion clocked a best time of one minute and 16.212 seconds in his Mercedes to end quickest by 0.415 seconds ahead of his team-mate and nearest rival Nico Rosberg.

On a relatively cool, cloudy but dry day at the demanding and tricky Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, the two Mercedes men were more than 1.5 seconds clear of third-placed Frenchman Romain Grosjean of Lotus and the rest of the field.

Another German, Nico Hulkenberg, was fourth for Force India ahead of four-time champion compatriot Sebastian Vettel in his Ferrari and Brazilian Felipe Massa who was sixth for Williams. 

This meant five of the top six cars were powered by Mercedes on a track where traction and acceleration are important.

Russian Daniil Kvyat wound up seventh for Red Bull ahead of Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado in the second Lotus, Spanish two-time champion Fernando Alonso in a McLaren and, on his first visit to the track, Dutch teenager Max Verstappen of Toro Rosso.