Tricky track conditions will likely become a factor in Saturday’s qualifying session.
IMOLA, Italy—Charles Leclerc gave his Ferrari Tifosi fans good entertainment Friday in free practice. The Monegasque took both sessions at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari Circuit, capping off the fastest time of the day, a 1:15:696, in preparation for Sunday’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was second despite brushing the kurbs earlier in the session, which caused a five-minute break after 18 minutes in the afternoon. But the day’s biggest surprise was RB driver Yuki Tsunoda, who finished in third. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell gave the Mercedes fourth and fifth place while Leclerc’s Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz took sixth.
The two Red Bulls were next, with Max Verstappen, who gave a few choice words after being unable to get past Hamilton at one point. Hamilton admitted blocking Verstappen, who finished in seventh after never finding any grip all day. Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Perez, had a wheel-touching scenario with Leclerc with a few minutes to go in the second session and ended up eighth. Nico Hulkenberg, who has good luck with practice and qualifying, was ninth in his Haas. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, another driver complaining about Hamilton’s driving, completed the top ten.
This circuit is one of the old-school tracks and is very narrow. Throughout the two sessions, many drivers went off the track and blocked each other, which could be a problem later during qualifying. In the opening session, Leclerc discovered how difficult this track can be. Despite having the best time, the Ferrari driver ran across the gravel runoff area a few times.
ESPN2 will televise qualifying at 10a on Saturday. Historically, no driver has ever won a race from further back than sixth on the starting grid.
