There were a number of incidents during the first practice session of the weekend, with Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton both experiencing some sketchy moments. Charles Leclerc finished fastest, followed by George Russell in second, Carlos Sainz in third, Sergio Perez in fourth, and Verstappen in fifth.
Following Sprint events in Miami and China, the traditional weekend format returned at Imola, allowing drivers to hit the track for the first of three practice sessions on Friday afternoon.
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It was a busy start to the hour as several cars emerged onto the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, with most teams – except RB – bringing upgrade packages for the seventh round of the season.
Among those early on track was Oliver Bearman, competing in the first of his six scheduled FP1 runs in 2024. The 19-year-old returned to action in Kevin Magnussen’s Haas, two months after his impressive substitute performance for Ferrari and Carlos Sainz in Saudi Arabia.
George Russell initially led the way, but the session was briefly halted 20 minutes in when Alex Albon, whose new multi-year contract extension with Williams was announced this week, pulled off track due to a mechanical issue.
After the action resumed, many drivers switched to the soft compound tyres for fast laps. Leclerc went quickest at the halfway point with a time of 1m 17.438s.
Several drivers experienced wide moments in the windy conditions, and Lewis Hamilton suffered a spin but managed to return to the track.
Leclerc finished the session on top with a lap of 1m 16.990s in the upgraded Ferrari. Russell followed in the Mercedes, 0.104s behind, with Sainz in third.
Sergio Perez was the lead Red Bull in P4, while Max Verstappen, who complained about a lack of grip and had multiple excursions across the grass in his final laps, went P5. RB’s Yuki Tsunoda followed in P6, ahead of Hamilton in P7 and Miami winner Lando Norris in P8 for McLaren.
Norris’s teammate Oscar Piastri slotted into P9, while Fernando Alonso completed the top 10, running a new-spec Aston Martin. Pierre Gasly was 11th quickest in the Alpine, leading Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll in 12th and RB’s Daniel Ricciardo in 13th.
After reporting understeer issues during the session, Alpine’s Esteban Ocon claimed P14, while Bearman was P15 in the Haas. The Kick Sauber duo of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu followed in P16 and P17, respectively.
Logan Sargeant posted the 18th fastest time in the Williams, with Albon in 19th after being unable to return to action following his earlier stoppage. Nico Hulkenberg ended the session in 20th for Haas.
Emilia Romagna GP FP1 Results
2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix FP1, 17 May 2024
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