P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Check out the biggest stories from Friday 17th May – the first day of on-track running from Imola – with the RacingNews365 Review!
Friday at Imola was a challenging day for Max Verstappen in the Red Bull, with him finishing in fifth and seventh place due to a lack of grip in the RB20, resulting in multiple off-track excursions. Verstappen described the day as one of his worst in the Red Bull so far. Charles Leclerc had a dream start at Ferrari’s home track, topping both sessions despite warning the team against getting carried away with their performance. Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes had a good day, with Hamilton finishing fourth in FP2, although he faced criticism from Verstappen and Alonso, to which he later apologized. Imola marks the first European race of the season, bringing upgrades galore for the teams, setting the stage for an exciting weekend of racing at the iconic circuit.
