FP1: Leclerc leads Russell and Sainz in first practice session at Imola
Charles Leclerc secured the fastest lap during the opening practice session of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix weekend, placing the Monegasque driver ahead of George Russell and Carlos Sainz in a highly active hour on track.
After recent Sprint events in Miami and China, Imola reverts to the traditional format, allowing drivers three full practice sessions from Friday onwards.
The session started energetically as numerous cars emerged onto the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit. Most teams, with the exception of Red Bull, introduced upgrade packages for this seventh round of the season.
Among the early runners was 19-year-old Oliver Bearman, appearing in Kevin Magnussen's Haas for the first of his scheduled FP1 runs in 2024. Bearman returned to the spotlight following his impressive substitute role for Ferrari in Saudi Arabia two months ago.
George Russell initially led for Mercedes, but the session was briefly halted 20 minutes in when Alex Albon, who recently extended his contract with Williams, pulled off track due to a mechanical issue.
As sessions resumed and drivers switched to the soft compound tyres, Leclerc recorded the quickest lap at the halfway point with a time of 1m 17.438s for Ferrari. The windy conditions saw several drivers experiencing wide moments, with Lewis Hamilton suffering a spin but managing to recover his Mercedes.
Leclerc ended the session on top with a time of 1m 16.990s in the upgraded SF-24. Russell followed 0.104s behind in his Mercedes, with Sainz securing third in the second Ferrari.
Sergio Perez was the highest-placed Red Bull in fourth. His teammate, Max Verstappen, who struggled with a lack of grip and multiple off-track excursions, settled for fifth. Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda claimed P6, with Hamilton in P7, and Miami winner Lando Norris in P8 for McLaren.
Oscar Piastri, Norris’ teammate, took P9, while Fernando Alonso slotted into the top 10 in his new-spec Aston Martin. Pierre Gasly was 11th in the Alpine, followed by Aston Martin's Lance Stroll in 12th, and Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo in 13th.
After reporting understeer issues, Alpine’s Esteban Ocon finished P14, while Bearman was 15th for Haas. The Alfa Romeo (branded as Kick Sauber) duo of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu followed in P16 and P17 respectively.
Logan Sargeant was 18th in the Williams, with teammate Albon behind in 19th after stopping early due to his mechanical issue. Nico Hulkenberg completed the session in 20th for Haas.
Teams will now scrutinize their data from FP1 before returning to the track for the second practice session.
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