“Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris topped the timesheets in Friday’s Formula 1 Imola Grand Prix, showcasing McLaren’s strong form. The session was briefly halted by a red flag due to Isack Hadjar’s off-track excursion. Piastri led both FP1 and FP2, closely followed by his teammate Norris, highlighting McLaren’s dominance.
During FP2, Norris set the initial pace on mediums before being surpassed by Carlos Sainz in the Williams. Piastri then clocked a fast lap of 1m15.293s on the soft C6 tires, with Norris trailing by 0.025s.
Surprisingly, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly claimed third, with George Russell in the Mercedes in fourth. Reigning champion Max Verstappen improved his form, but still fell short of challenging the McLarens.
Charles Leclerc of Ferrari finished sixth, pointing out areas for improvement, while Hadjar’s late incident in Turn 1 brought out a red flag. The session resumed briefly for practice starts, concluding with Yuki Tsunoda in eighth and Lewis Hamilton in 11th after brake issues.”
