Alonso's Ferrari sets fastest lap in damp practice at Canadian Grand Prix

Fernando Alonso had to the quickest practice lap in his Ferrari on Friday ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix.

The Spanish driver clocked 1 minute, 14:818 seconds on a damp day at the 2-mile Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Lewis Hamilton was second fastest in his Mercedes at 1:14.831. Romain Grosjean's Lotus was third in 1:15.083, followed by Mark Webber's Red Bull (1:15.212) and Nico Rosberg's Mercedes (1:15.249).

Times were about 7 seconds faster than in the morning practice, when Paul Di Resta of the Force India team led in 1:21.020.

The day started on a wet track from overnight rain, but by the afternoon it was dry until a few drops fell with 15 minutes left. That allowed Alonso's time to hold up just when drivers usually post their fastest times.

The conditions created some slipping and sliding, including a near crash between Webber and Grosjean. Kimi Raikkonen's Lotus also went for a slide.

Teams will have a practice Saturday morning before the qualifying session. The race is Sunday.