Leclerc crashes, Russell top in Canadian GP practice
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc sat out the later session after crashing in the first, leaving mechanics plenty of work to repair the car.
Aston Martin's Lance Stroll, who missed the previous race in Spain due to hand and wrist pain, crashed at Turn Seven in second practice for his home Grand Prix and smashed the front left suspension.
Russell's time of one minute 12.123 seconds compared to Verstappen's earlier afternoon effort of 1:13.193.
The pair qualified on the front row last year with identical times, with Russell on pole but Verstappen going on to win the race for a third year in a row.
They also clashed in Spain two weekends ago, with Verstappen left on the brink of a ban after driving into the Mercedes.
The Dutch driver was only ninth in Friday's second practice, behind Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, with McLaren's Lando Norris the closest to Russell and only 0.028 slower.
"The car is jumping like crazy in the rear, like the ride is terrible," reported Verstappen over the radio.
Mercedes' strong form was emphasised by Russell's rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli setting the third best time, 0.288 off the pace.
Runaway championship leaders McLaren had made a comparatively slow start to the weekend until Norris's lap, with Australian Oscar Piastri seventh and sixth and testing upgrades including a new front wing.
Piastri leads Norris by 10 points after nine of the season's 24 rounds.
Williams' Alex Albon was second and fourth in the sessions, but strangely missed his garage when pitting in the second and had to go around again, with teammate Carlos Sainz third and seventh.
Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso ended the day fifth.
Leclerc brought out the red flags when he hit the wall at the second chicane with 45 minutes remaining, causing extensive damage to his Ferrari. Ferrari said the survival cell needed to be replaced.
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