Charles Leclerc put Ferrari quickest in the opening practice session of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix weekend at Imola.
The Ferrari driver was the only car to break the 1’17 barrier in a session that saw almost the entire field struggling for grip around the Italian circuit, including world champion Max Verstappen.
Gloriously sunny conditions greeted drivers for the opening hour of running of the weekend, with ambient temperatures at a comfortable 23C. Many drivers complained that the Imola circuit was bumpier than they had expected, with Sergio Perez, Zhou Guanyu and Pierre Gasly among many who reported bouncing at the end of straights.
Several drivers made mistakes over the course of the session. Carlos Sainz Jnr missed the Variante Alta chicane, running across the grass after an error, with Logan Sargeant doing the same. Lewis Hamilton went off twice at Acque Minerali, including a spin at the exit, but was able to recover onto the track. Daniel Ricciardo also ploughed through the gravel between the Rivazzas.
Leclerc used soft tyres to set the quickest time of the session with a 1’16.990, a tenth of a second faster than George Russell’s Mercedes. With under ten minutes to go, Verstappen emerged on a second set of soft tyres and set the quickest first sector of the session. However, a mistake at Variante Alta caused him to abandon the lap.
The championship leader attempted a final push lap in the final minute of the session, but he ran wide at the exit of Acque Minerali, causing him to run through the gravel before returning to the pits. That left Leclerc quickest of all for Ferrari, with Russell second and Sainz third in the second Ferrari.
The two Red Bull drivers were fourth and fifth with Perez and Verstappen as Yuki Tsunoda was sixth-fastest in the RB. Hamilton was seventh ahead of the two McLarens of Norris and Oscar Piastri, while Fernando Alonso completed the top ten for Aston Martin.
Ferrari junior Oliver Bearman returned to F1 action for the first time since substituting for Sainz in Jeddah. He replaced Kevin Magnussen in the Haas for the first of six scheduled Friday practice runs of the season. Bearman completed the most laps of any driver – 31 – and was 15th fastest ahead of team mate Nico Hulkenberg, who did not complete a representative lap in the session.
Alexander Albon’s session ended early when his Williams shut off at Acque Minerali, forcing him to pull off and triggering a brief red flag stoppage. Lando Norris also reported a…
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