FP1: Leclerc leads Russell and Sainz in Imola as Albon brings out red flags

Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool

Charles Leclerc set the pace in the opening practice session of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, leading George Russell and Carlos Sainz.

Check out the results of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix weekend in Italy, including the race results, qualifying times, and practice sessions

Returning to the traditional format after Sprint events in Miami and China, drivers had the first of three practice sessions on Friday afternoon at Imola's Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari.

Several teams introduced upgrades, excluding Red Bull. Oliver Bearman, filling in for Kevin Magnussen, returned to action in a Haas.

A mechanical issue for Alex Albon stopped the session briefly 20 minutes in. Post-resumption, Leclerc clocked the fastest time of 1m 16.990s on soft compounds.

Leclerc finished the session on top, with Russell 0.104s behind and Sainz in third. Sergio Perez led Red Bull in P4, while Max Verstappen, struggling with grip, placed P5.

Yuki Tsunoda, Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, and Fernando Alonso rounded out the top 10. Pierre Gasly, Lance Stroll, and Daniel Ricciardo followed.

Esteban Ocon, Bearman, and Kick Sauber duo Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu trailed behind. Logan Sargeant, Albon, and Nico Hulkenberg completed the standings.

Teams will now analyze their data ahead of the second practice session at 1700 local time.

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