In free practice as Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri locked out the top two in each of the three sessions. The only mishaps were an inadvertent tussle between Norris and the returning Franco Colapinto in FP2 and a couple of off-track excursions for both drivers in FP3. This sterling form was slightly undercut by Max Verstappen who clocked a time just 0.001s slower than Piastri in FP3, despite running medium tyres as opposed to the softs.
Red Bull’s Imola upgrades appear to have taken some getting used to. Verstappen struggled with rear instability throughout free practice and touched the gravel on the exit of turn 12. His teammate Yuki Tsunoda found himself hindered by Colapinto in FP1, before inadvertently impeding Lewis Hamilton in FP2. The Japanese driver’s fastest time came at the end of that session, nine-hundredths of a second off Verstappen.
Hamilton battled brake problems throughout free practice, as did his teammate Charles Leclerc. Both Ferrari drivers encountered trouble at the Variante Alta chicane but would end FP3 in fifth and tenth. Williams’ strong form looks set to continue with Carlos Sainz securing third in FP1 and Alex Albon in eighth, despite a handful of off-road excursions for the latter.
Kimi Antonelli’s first-ever race weekend on home soil has gotten off to an uneven start. Sporting a new helmet design and having invited several of his classmates, the Mercedes driver struggled for grip, rhythm, and consistency throughout FP1 and FP2 but managed to put in a solid lap of 1.15.399 in FP3. Enough for fourth overall. Fernando Alonso was impeded by both Colapinto and Leclerc, disruptions the two-time world champion did not need as he and teammate Lance Stroll got to grips with Aston Martin’s first major upgrades of the season. The Silverstone-based squad was also the only team to complete any meaningful running on the hard tires. With Pirelli having brought their softest compounds to Imola, tire wear looks set to be a major talking point throughout the weekend. Alonso’s fastest time on the softs was good enough for 11th in FP3 with Stroll a tenth and a half further back in 13th.
Having put in his fair share of quiet, commendable performances so far this season, Isack Hadjar’s streak looks set to continue at Imola. The Frenchman posted top ten times in FP2 and FP3, despite beaching his car at turn four during the latter. His teammate Liam Lawson ran wide at turn four and suffered a spin in FP3 on his way to 14th. Gabriel Bortoleto was responsible for the only major shunt during free practice when he suffered a snap of oversteer that sent him into the barriers in FP1 and brought out the red flag. However, Bortoleto was himself uninjured and managed to set a time nearly two-tenths of a second quicker than his teammate Nico Hulkenberg in FP3.
On the whole, McLaren looks to have the edge heading into qualifying, Williams’ initial pace seems the strongest of the midfield while Russell; has continued to be a constant fixture within the top five. However, with Verstappen having gotten as close as he did to the McLarens in FP3, writing off the Dutchman is once again an impossibility.
