Oscar Piastri has pipped McLaren team-mate Lando Norris by 0.032s in the first free practice session for F1’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, which was red-flagged for a late crash by Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto.
At the historic Italian track outside Bologna, which is set to host its last F1 race for the time being, Piastri and Norris led an extremely tight session while most teams grid trialled sizeable upgrade packages at the first European race weekend of the 2025 season.
Norris led the early running with 1m17.125s on softs, with Pirelli debuting its softest C6 compound this weekend to spice up the action.
Mercedes’ George Russell then took over with a 1m16.599s until Piastri claimed the top position shortly after the halfway mark, the Australian clocking a 1m16.545s lap around the 4.909km circuit.
In the other McLaren, Norris’ answer followed soon enough, but after being 0.174s behind on his first attempt the Briton lifted in the final sector. Norris’ second attempt was more successful and netted him a 1m16.577s, just 0.032s shy of Piastri.
That was just 0.020s quicker than an impressive-looking Williams in the hands of Carlos Sainz, with Russell demoted to fourth.
Carlos Sainz, Williams
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images via Getty Images
Lewis Hamilton voiced his concerns about his Ferrari’s brakes as he straight-lined the Variante Alta chicane early on, but the seven-time world champion found pace with a fifth-fastest time, less than a tenth behind Piastri.
Alpine’s upgrades looked promising too, with Pierre Gasly sixth yet still only 0.151s behind the leader.
Max Verstappen was seventh in the Red Bull, three and a half tenths in arrears, as the reigning world champion trialled a tweaked rear suspension among other changes to the RB21.
Not for the first time this year, Verstappen wasn’t too impressed with the through-corner balance of the car, telling the team he “can’t rely on the rear, it just feels like I’m drifting everywhere”.
The second Williams of Alex Albon and Sauber duo Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg completed the top 10.
That positive start for rookie Bortoleto was overshadowed by a late crash for the Brazilian at Rivazza. Bortoleto’s Sauber oversteered on entry in the first part of Imola’s last corner complex, which spat him out into the outside gravel trap and ended with light contact with the wall.
Williams and Sauber are the only two teams that didn’t declare any upgrades this weekend, which likely explains why they got up to speed quicker than their rivals in FP1.
F1 Imola GP – FP1 results
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Filip Cleeren
Formula 1
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