CCTV issues at the Canadian Grand Prix saw Practice One limited to just four minutes of track action before the session was aborted early.
Pierre Gasly brought out a red flag on his first lap after grinding to a halt with a driveshaft issue on his Alpine car.
But the session never resumed as issues with the local CCTV infrastructure around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve meant cars could not return to the track on safety grounds.
Practice Two has been extended by 30 minutes to try and make up for some of the loss of running and will now get under way at 9.30pm.
However, rain is forecast in Montreal later this evening which may well result in a wet session. Further rain is expected on Saturday for qualifying.
The FIA confirmed in a statement: "In accordance with Article 11.9.3.o of the FIA International Sporting Code, having received a request from the clerk of the course and in the interests of safety, we hereby modify the official programme of the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix by extending the duration of Free Practice Session 2 by 30 minutes.
"Free Practice Session 2 will now start at 1630hrs (2130hrs BST).
"The tyres required to be returned after Free Practice 1 in accordance with Article 30.5 of the Formula One Sporting Regulations, should now be returned no later than two hours after Free Practice 2."
Sky Sports F1's Karun Chandhok expressed his disappointment for the spectators who had failed to see any real action.
"The fans, a lot of them only get one opportunity a year to see Grand Prix cars," he said.
"A lot of them can't afford tickets for the Saturday and Sunday, so they come on the Friday to soak up some atmosphere and see the cars live on track.
"For them I feel really sorry for because they are missing a whole load of action."
In the four minutes of running that did take place only 12 drivers set a lap time, with Valtteri Bottas finishing top of the standings ahead of the two Aston Martin cars.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell failed to even get out for an exploratory lap.
Mercedes had expected a swift resumption after Gasly's car had been cleared from the track and sent Hamilton and Russell out to the end of the pit lane but then had to wheel the cars back to their garages when the CCTV issues became apparent.
More to follow...