[15] Following a smoke bomb incident on Montreal Metro subway, student activists from the Université du Québec à Montréal threatened to prevent the race from going ahead as part of ongoing demonstrations across Quebec.

[16] Further threats emerged two weeks later, with activists calling for disruptions to the race, which they depicted as a symbol of the "capitalist class",[17] while students from the Faculty of Arts at the Université du Québec à Montréal described the Grand Prix as "[representing] sexist, anti-environmental, elitist and economic values that must be abolished" and suggested disruptions be organized by the Coalition Large de l'Association pour une Solidarité Syndicale Étudiante (CLASSE) — recognised as the most-radical student protest group.

[19] After attacking the Formula One website in protest against the Bahrain Grand Prix,[20][21] hacktivist community Anonymous threatened similar action against the sport to protest the Canadian Grand Prix as a part of "Operation Quebec",[22] promising to block access to the circuit, light fires within the circuit limits, and foreshadowing attacks on hotels in the city proper.

[23] Anti-capitalist group CLAC also threatened to target Crescent Street in downtown Montreal to "disrupt this crass elite at play",[24] describing the Grand Prix as "an orgy of cash [that] symbolizes turbo-capitalism.

[24] Montreal police also carried out raids on eighteen homes in the city, arresting eleven people suspected of widespread vandalism.

[28] Montreal resident and former World Champion Jacques Villeneuve was highly critical of the protesters, comparing them to rioters who took part in the 2011 England riots and describing them as "people [who] grew up without ever hearing their parents ever tell them 'no'.

[32] Sebastian Vettel was summoned by the stewards after he was observed cutting across the final chicane to avoid Bruno Senna and guarantee a clear circuit for a flying run, but no action was taken.

A HRT mechanic was taken to hospital after he was hit by Pedro de la Rosa in pit lane, but the team reported that he had not suffered any serious injuries.

As in the first session, the second was interrupted by a red flag when Bruno Senna crashed at the final chicane, destroying one of the experimental rear wings Williams had brought to the race.

Jean-Éric Vergne became the third driver to crash in free practice, when he went off at the first turn on Saturday morning during his first flying lap, whilst Nico Rosberg suffered from a fuel pick-up problem that cost him an entire hour of running.

Petrov was faster than his teammate for most of the Q1 session, but a late lap from Kovalainen – which included a bumpy ride across the kerbs at the final chicane – put him two-tenths of a second clear of the Russian.

Despite setting the early pace, Nico Hülkenberg qualified thirteenth, with Daniel Ricciardo alongside him in fourteenth, a full second quicker than teammate Vergne.

Felipe Massa was sixth in his second appearance in Q3 in as many races, ahead of Grosjean in seventh and Paul di Resta eighth.

Following his contact with the wall at the end of his seventeenth placed qualifying performance, the Williams team decided to change Pastor Maldonado's gearbox prior to the race.

There were no big changes behind him, as Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber, Nico Rosberg and Felipe Massa all staying in their respective places.

Massa had started closing in on Webber after passing Rosberg, but he then spun and dropped down to 12th, at the tail of the second group led by di Resta.

Before the first round of pit stops, Hamilton closed right up to Vettel and started to get held up, with Fernando Alonso taking the opportunity to join the leading two.

Shortly afterwards, his HRT teammate Pedro de la Rosa stopped in the pits with worn-out brakes and didn't re-emerge.

Hamilton was able to open up a 4-second lead over Alonso, with Vettel being initially held up by the Spaniard, but unable to keep up with him as the Ferrari driver found the grip in his tyres.

The Red Bull driver decided to make a second pitstop for new tyres and rejoined in 8th place, behind Rosberg and Pérez, but ahead of Räikkönen.