McLaren Dominates First Day of Practice at Imola GP
Imola, Italy – Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris of McLaren showcased commanding performances to lead both practice sessions at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Friday, underlining the team’s momentum as they seek to maintain their early-season advantage.
In the opening session, Piastri set the pace with a lap of 1m15.293s, narrowly edging out his teammate Norris by just 0.025 seconds. The duo’s swift times left the competition trailing, with Piastri’s earlier best marking him as the top contender in both FP1 and FP2.
During FP2, Norris initially took charge with a solid 1m16.074s lap on medium tires, followed by a quick response from Williams’ Carlos Sainz. However, it was in the subsequent runs on Pirelli’s softest compound, C6, where drivers began to push the limits. George Russell of Mercedes struck first, lowering the benchmark to 1m15.693s.
Piastri’s standout lap not only secured his top spot but also highlighted a significant performance gap as reigning champion Max Verstappen reported difficulties with balance in the Red Bull RB21, finishing four tenths behind the leading McLarens.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly emerged as a surprising contender, closing the session in third, with Russell fourth. Charles Leclerc recorded a sixth-place finish after vocalizing concerns about Ferrari’s handling issues in key corners.
The session was briefly interrupted by a red flag caused by Isack Hadjar’s spin at Turn 1, halting the proceedings with just eight minutes remaining. Despite this, the session resumed for practice starts with Yuki Tsunoda finishing eighth, while Williams drivers Sainz and Alex Albon concluded the top ten. Lewis Hamilton struggled to find pace, finishing 11th amidst braking issues.
Franco Colapinto made a notable return to Formula 1 with Alpine, concluding the day in 13th position.
FP2 Results Summary
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 1m15.293s
- Lando Norris (McLaren) – +0.025s
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – +0.4s
- George Russell (Mercedes) – +0.5s
- Carlos Sainz (Williams) – +0.8s
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – +1.0s
- Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) – +1.1s
- Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) – +1.2s
- Alex Albon (Williams) – +1.3s
- Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) – +1.4s
As the teams head into qualifying, McLaren’s performance signals a strong challenge for dominance in the early stages of the 2025 Formula 1 season.
