Formula 1 News: Leclerc puts Ferrari on top in Practice 1 at Imola

Much to the delight of the Tifosi, Charles Leclerc turned the fastest lap in opening practice at Imola in the heavily upgraded Ferrari.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

Leclerc’s lap of 1m16.990s was the only driver to dip into the 1m16s bracket.

George Russell was 2nd quick for Mercedes, 0.104s behind Leclerc.

Carlos Sainz Jr. gave the Tifosi more to cheer about in third, 0.130s behind his Ferrari teammate.

Sergio Perez was 4th for Red Bull, 0.243s behind Leclerc, and Max Verstappen, who had two big moments and went off track, rounded out the top-5 in the #1 Red Bull.  Verstappen is not happy with the handling of the upgraded Red Bull.

Twice he has a  purple first sector  and then a mistake. The last time time he went through the gravel at Acque Minerali, the car just bottoming out and refused to turn.

Lewis Hamilton was another former World Champion who had two off-track moments,

The session draws to a close, and that was a messy hour for many. Plenty of offs, one spin, one mechanical and a few headaches.

Alex Albon brought out the Red Flag, stopping on the grass with a technical issue.

Emilia Romagna GP Practice 1 Results