McLaren dominates the FP2 in Imola, while Gasly shines with a P3

The second practice session for the Imola GP has concluded, and it’s the papaya of McLaren that continues to paint the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in its vibrant hues. Oscar Piastri, carrying his momentum from a strong morning, once again topped the timesheets, narrowly heading his teammate Lando Norris. But while McLaren laid down a significant marker, the session was far from straightforward for others, with drama, surprises, and plenty of head-scratching for some of the Formula 1 powerhouses. The iconic Imola circuit, bathed in pleasant spring sunshine with an air temperature of 19.6°C and a track temperature hovering around 33°C, provided a challenging playground as teams delved deeper into their setups and tyre evaluations.

McLaren Sets a Blistering Pace, Piastri Pips Norris Again

McLaren's dominance in FP1 was no fluke. The Woking-based squad delivered another commanding 1-2 in the afternoon session, firmly establishing themselves as the team to beat heading into Saturday. Oscar Piastri, fresh from topping FP1, continued his impressive form, clocking a 1:15.293s on the soft C6 tyres. His teammate, Lando Norris, was hot on his heels, just 0.025s adrift, underlining the intra-team battle that could define their weekend.

A Repeat Performance with an Ominous Gap

The consistency shown by both Piastri and Norris is a clear signal of McLaren's current strength. Repeating their FP1 lockout, they not only secured the top two spots but did so with a considerable margin over the rest of the field. Piastri's best was a stunning 0.276s clear of the nearest non-McLaren challenger, a gap that will undoubtedly have rival teams burning the midnight oil. While FP1 had tighter gaps, FP2 saw McLaren stretch their legs, particularly on the qualifying simulation runs. Norris, a driver who historically performs well at Imola, and Piastri, riding a wave of confidence from Miami and his FP1 success, look like a formidable duo for pole position.

Untouchable Pace? The Papaya Advantage

The MCL60, seemingly with suspension tweaks for this weekend, appeared glued to the Imola tarmac. Both drivers exuded confidence, pushing the limits where others struggled. The car looked particularly strong through the technical middle sector. The question on everyone's lips is whether this advantage, nearly three-tenths of a second, can be maintained or if other teams were holding back or simply haven't unlocked their car's potential around this demanding circuit. With overtaking notoriously difficult here, McLaren's Friday pace sets them up beautifully for a crucial qualifying session.

Gasly's Alpine Springs a Surprise in Imola

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day came from the Alpine garage, with Pierre Gasly putting in a stellar performance to secure P3 on the timesheets. In a session where McLaren seemed in a league of their own, Gasly emerged as the 'best of the rest', his 1:15.569s lap a significant boost for the Enstone team.

Best of the Rest for Resurgent French Squad

What made Gasly's performance even more impressive was the margin he held over the cars behind him. He was over a tenth quicker than George Russell's Mercedes in P4. This wasn't a one-off; Gasly had shown promising pace on both medium and soft compounds in FP1, and his FP2 run confirmed that Alpine might be genuine contenders for a strong result this weekend. Given Alpine's recent period of turbulence, including a driver line-up change and the departure of Team Principal Oliver Oakes since the last race, this performance is a much-needed shot in the arm.

Alpine's New Chapter Shows Early Promise

Gasly's speed offers a glimmer of hope that Alpine's upgrades, including a modified engine cover, are working effectively. His new teammate, Franco Colapinto, also had a solid outing in his first race weekend with the team, finishing P13. Colapinto, stepping in for Jack Doohan, logged valuable laps and seemed to grow in confidence, finishing just a tenth behind Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari. If Alpine can maintain this pace and address their long-run performance, they could disrupt the established order.

Mixed Fortunes for Formula 1 Giants

While McLaren and Gasly were the standout performers, it was a day of contrasting fortunes for some of Formula 1's traditional front-runners, including Mercedes, Red Bull Racing, and home heroes Ferrari.

Mercedes: Russell Strong, Antonelli Finding His Feet

George Russell demonstrated that Mercedes has found a better footing at Imola compared to their struggles in Miami. He put his W16 into P4 with a 1:15.693s, looking comfortable from the outset. As in FP1, Russell was quick to bolt on the soft tyres and set an early benchmark. His performance suggests Mercedes could be in the mix, especially if they can fine-tune their one-lap pace further. For Bologna native Kimi Antonelli, his first official F1 Friday on home soil was more challenging. The young Italian, much hyped and celebrated by local football team Bologna earlier in the paddock, finished P18, over a second off Piastri's pace and a significant 0.7s behind his teammate Russell. While he impressed in Miami, Imola seems to be a steeper learning curve, though he’ll look to extract more pace as the weekend progresses. He was also noted for being unhappy after being blocked by a Red Bull.

Red Bull's Imola Conundrum: Verstappen Battles, Tsunoda Adapts

Red Bull Racing, usually a benchmark of performance, had a somewhat perplexing day. Max Verstappen, a three-time winner at Imola, could only manage P5, with a best time of 1:15.735s, 0.442s off the ultimate pace. The reigning champion was visibly wrestling his RB21, complaining in FP1 about a lack of rear grip. While the car looked a little steadier in FP2, he still wasn't entirely comfortable, even having an issue with something loose under his throttle foot that required attention during the late red flag period. His new teammate for 2025, Yuki Tsunoda, who resides locally and knows Imola well from his junior formula and AlphaTauri/RB days, slotted into P8 with a 1:15.827. While a respectable position, Red Bull will be aiming for much more, especially given their historical strength here. They have work to do overnight to unlock the RB21's potential.

Ferrari's Home Woes: Brake Issues Plague Leclerc and Hamilton

The Tifosi's hopes for a dominant Ferrari performance on home turf took a hit on Friday. Both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton struggled with their SF-24s, particularly with brake issues. Leclerc was vocal over the radio, describing his brakes as "horrendous" and highlighting critical problems with entry into Turns 5, 9, and 11. He finished P6, nearly half a second off Piastri, and was seen battling a twitchy car in the first sector. Lewis Hamilton, in his first Imola outing in Ferrari red, fared even worse, ending the session in P11 with a 1:15.943. Both drivers had off-track excursions in FP1, and the lack of balance and brake confidence continued into FP2. With qualifying so critical at Imola, Ferrari faces a significant overnight challenge to find a set-up that allows their drivers to attack this unforgiving circuit.

Midfield Drama and Rookie Action

Behind the leading pack, the midfield battle looks incredibly tight, and FP2 provided its share of drama, particularly for one of the Racing Bulls drivers.

Hadjar's Charge Halted by Costly Spin

Isack Hadjar in the Racing Bulls machine was having a stellar session, sitting impressively in P7 and mixing it with established names. However, his strong run came to an unfortunate end late in the session. With just over 10 minutes remaining, Hadjar had a snap of oversteer, spinning his car into the wall. He attempted to rejoin but, after waiting for traffic, his rear wheels became beached in the gravel trap, necessitating a red flag. The session resumed with only two minutes left, primarily for practice starts. It was a frustrating end for the Frenchman, who had shown genuine pace. His Racing Bulls teammate, Liam Lawson, ended up P15.

Williams and Racing Bulls Hint at Top Ten Pace

Despite Hadjar's incident, Racing Bulls (formerly Visa Cash App RB) showed flashes of speed. Williams also looked competitive, with Alex Albon in P9 (1:15.916) and new signing Carlos Sainz, moving from Ferrari for 2025, in P10 (1:15.934). Sainz adapted quickly to his new surroundings, keeping close to his experienced teammate. Both teams, running upgrades including new floors for Racing Bulls and Haas, will be eyeing Q3 spots if they can string together clean laps.

Rookies Bortoleto and Bearman Log Crucial Mileage

For the rookie contingent, it was another valuable learning experience. Gabriel Bortoleto (Kick Sauber), after his FP1 crash that brought out red flags, thankfully returned to the track in a rebuilt car. He finished P16, focusing on acclimatization and data gathering. Oliver Bearman, in the Haas, was P12 with a 1:16.009, ahead of teammate Esteban Ocon who was P20. These young talents are gaining crucial experience with every lap.

Technical Insights: Tyres, Upgrades, and Track Talk

FP2 provided insights into tyre strategies, the effectiveness of new upgrade packages, and the ever-present challenge of track conditions at Imola.

The C6 Soft Tyre Debut: A Qualifying Weapon

This weekend marks the first appearance of Pirelli's softest C6 compound in 2025. Teams dedicated significant portions of FP2 to understanding its behavior, particularly for one-lap pace. Most drivers set their fastest times on this tyre. However, its high degradation means it's unlikely to be a favored race tyre, with most teams opting to save their two sets of the C4 (hardest available here, though teams actually ran mediums in the race sim) for Sunday. No one ran the hard compound (C4) today, preferring to evaluate the C5 medium and C6 soft.

Upgrade Packages Under Scrutiny

Imola is a traditional venue for teams to introduce their first major European-season upgrade packages. Haas and Racing Bulls brought new floors. Aston Martin had a raft of upgrades. Alpine and Red Bull featured modified engine covers, a strategy also seen at Mercedes. Ferrari and McLaren focused on suspension tweaks. Many teams ran split programs, with one car on new spec parts and the other on old, to gather comparative data. The performance of Gasly's Alpine suggests their upgrades might be particularly effective.

Traffic Jams and Track Evolution: Qualifying Hurdles

As expected, traffic became a noticeable issue as drivers sought clear track for their qualifying simulations. Kimi Antonelli's frustration with a Red Bull and an impromptu "race" between Lando Norris and Franco Colapinto highlighted this. With a short lap and 20 cars, Q1 could be particularly fraught. Track evolution was also significant, with lap times tumbling as more rubber was laid down, aided by the F2 and F3 support races. Track temperatures, starting at 36.5°C, dropped to 33.7°C by the session's end, which will be a factor for tyre wear considerations, though Sunday's race starts earlier at 15:00 local time.

The Road to Qualifying: What to Expect

With Friday's running complete, all eyes turn to Saturday's crucial qualifying session.

FP3 Focus: One-Lap Supremacy

The final practice session on Saturday morning (12:30 local time) will see teams fine-tuning their qualifying setups. Expect a flurry of soft-tyre runs as drivers and engineers seek to extract every last thousandth of a second. Teams like Ferrari and Red Bull will be under pressure to find significant improvements overnight.

Imola's Overtaking Challenge Magnifies Grid Importance

Grid position at Imola is arguably more critical than at many other circuits. The narrow, old-school layout makes overtaking exceptionally difficult. Therefore, Saturday's qualifying outcome will heavily influence Sunday's race strategy and potential results. A front-row start is a massive advantage here.

The scene is set for a titanic battle. McLaren, with Piastri and Norris, look like the clear favorites for pole, but the chasing pack is hungry. Can Gasly maintain his exceptional form for Alpine? Will Mercedes translate Russell's solid pace into a front-row challenge? And can Red Bull or Ferrari find the answers they desperately need to satisfy Verstappen and the expectant Tifosi respectively? The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix is already shaping up to be a captivating contest. Don't miss FP3 and the all-important Qualifying session tomorrow.