Leclerc Dominates in Imola as Hamilton Clashes With Verstappen and Alonso in Tense FP2 Session

Charles Leclerc Leads; Lewis Hamilton Frustrates Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso

Charles Leclerc dominates in FP2 while Lewis Hamilton agitates old adversaries Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso.

Charles Leclerc maintained Ferrari's lead in the second practice session, sustaining the Italian squad's optimistic beginning to the F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix weekend.

Leclerc outpaced McLaren's Oscar Piastri by 0.192 seconds with Ferrari's significantly updated SF-24, improving his FP1 time to dominate both practice sessions on Friday at Imola.

Yuki Tsunoda grabbed attention with a third-place finish, only 0.380 seconds behind the leader, representing RB.

Lewis Hamilton secured the fourth position, surpassing his Mercedes colleague George Russell and Carlos Sainz from Ferrari, who came in after them.

Max Verstappen faced ongoing challenges in the second practice session, with the current world champion only securing the seventh-fastest time, lagging by more than half a second, in a session marked by errors.

"Goodness. Honestly, I'm at a loss. Everything's just so hard right now. Suddenly, the front end got really grippy, and I nearly lost control," he voiced his frustration through the team's radio.

Verstappen managed to move faster than his teammate Sergio Perez, yet found himself frustrated with Hamilton, his competitor for the 2021 championship, for obstructing his path while driving for Mercedes.

Hamilton signaled his regret as Verstappen, moving beside the seven-time world champion, maneuvered ahead of his longtime adversary, consequently spoiling Perez's lap.

Fernando Alonso expressed dissatisfaction with Hamilton's behavior at the beginning of FP2, communicating to his team via radio that "Hamilton believes he's the only one on the track!”

In the speed rankings, Haas' Nico Hulkenberg secured the ninth spot, with Alonso following him in tenth place, showcasing his Aston Martin's latest upgrades.

Lando Norris hinted at the capabilities of his McLaren by achieving the fastest times in two sectors, yet he cut short his lap on soft tyres due to veering off into the gravel with a wheel at the last turn.

This positioned Formula 1's most recent victor in 12th place during the second free practice session, with a time that didn't accurately reflect their performance.

Discover More

Recent Updates

Recent Updates

Site Navigation

Crash.Net

©1999-2024 Crash Media Group

Reproducing the content, whether it's text, photos, or illustrations, entirely or partially, is strictly prohibited in any manner.