F1 is back as Charles Leclerc is looking to extend his World Championship lead after two wins from the opening three races.
Current champ Max Verstappen won the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix but was forced to retire in Bahrain and Australia, leaving him sixth in the current standings.
And prospective Chelsea co-owner Lewis Hamilton is fifth in the championship after finishing third, tenth and fourth in the opening three Grand Prixs.
F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix schedule
Friday
- Practice One – 12.30pm
- Qualifying – 4pm
Saturday
- Practice Two – 11.30am
- Sprint – 3.30pm
Sunday
- Race – 2pm
Wow…Hamilton scrapes into Q2 but the smallest margins.
He is only 15th quickest and was 0.004 seconds off Tsunoda, who occupied the last place in the drop zone.
That is painful for Hamilton.
Eliminated from Q1: Albon, Ocon, Latifi, Gasly and Tsunoda are all out.
Hamilton is now back in the thick of it!
The track has dried up considerably and he is back in the drop zone…
He could be out!
Hamilton looks to have done enough to make it into Q2
He was down in the drop zone but has just put in a lap to go seventh on the timesheets. He is still so far off the pace of the leaders.
Green light – Q1 has restarted after Albon’s issue
A little over 11 minutes to go and Leclerc and Sainz are in the bottom five – but that will change!
Red Flag – Albon has a brake problem
His Williams has a rear-brake failure and flames are licking out behind the rear right tyre.
He has made it back to the pitlane but his tyre has exploded in the process.
Qualifying for the Sprint Race is Go
The pitlane goes green for Q1. The usual rush to get into the top 15 to form the grid for tomorrow’s Sprint Race.
Don’t rain on my parade
It was a very wet track for the drivers at Practice One.
They’ll be hoping for a drier run at qualifying, which is kicking off now.
Catch up on F1 practice
Missed today’s practice session?
Catch up with best action below ahead of qualifying at 4pm.
Leclerc shows off driving skills
Charles Leclerc needed to utilise every inch of his experience behind the wheel.
This is like something out of an action movie!
Bottas stuck in the barrier
This is the moment Bottas lost control, hitting the barrier at the end of Practice One.
And to make matters, he couldn’t even reverse after getting stuck!
Hamilton excited about Chelsea takeover
Lewis Hamilton has spoken about his involvement with tennis legend Serena Williams in Sir Martin Broughton’s £2.5billion Chelsea takeover.
The self-confessed Arsenal fan said: “Ultimately, I’m a sporting fan – it’s the biggest sport in the world and Chelsea are one of the biggest clubs in the world and most successful.
“When I heard about this I thought, ‘Wow’. This is one of the greatest opportunities to be a part of, so great.
“She (Williams) is a phenomenal athlete and woman. We spoke about it and she asked me my thoughts and I told her I’d be a part of it, and she was excited to join.
“We were contacted and Sir Martin took time to speak to me on the phone and explain his and his team’s goals if they were to win the bid, which was incredibly exciting and it very much aligned with my values.”
Final results for Practice One
Let’s take a look at those times in full from Practice One.
Remember, qualifying is coming up later!
Bottas bins it!
Right at the end, the Finn thuds his Alfa Romeo into the barriers. He is now stuck and cannot reverse.
FP1 is done – Ferrari lead the way
Leclerc tops the session, Sainz is second, Verstappen is third.
Russell is 10th and Hamilton all the way down in 17th.
Red Flag – Lando Norris is in the gravel
The McLaren man goes off and the race director stops the session.
But he is moving again and back on his way to the pits. No damage done.
Ferrari 1-2
Leclerc leads Sainz around Imola in an messy session with plenty of spins all round.
Verstappen currently in P3.
It has stopped raining but track is proving tricky for Mercedes
George Russell is struggling in 18th place. Hamilton is only in 15th.
Verstappen tops the time sheets
The Red Bull man is quickest in these early laps. Sainz is second and Tsunoda has just gone in to third place.
The track is being cleared of the water and it is that gamble between just how much the drivers can push before they lose grip.
Both Williams drivers have been off
And Carlos Sainz has also run across the grass in what has been a messy session so far.
Leclerc also spins
Conditions proving tricky. Worth remembering we have not yet had a wet session with these new cars, so drivers will be pushing the cars to find their limits.
Latifi goes off
The Canadian spins off in the wet. He has been unable to stay out of trouble in the opening few races.
Some early running for Bottas
The Alfa Romeo man is out on track with the Haas duo.
Green Light – FP1 is Go.
First session before qualifying – remember this weekend it is the Sprint Race, so straight into quali after this 1 hour session.
It is very wet out there on track. We had three red flags in the F3 session earlier today.
The rain has eased but with dry weather expected for the rest of the weekend it could mean there is little running in this session.
Leclerc feeling fine about top
Charles Leclerc feels confident he can triumph in Italy, having already won two of the first three races.
He explained: “Obviously we only had the third race, so it’s difficult to think about the Championship but to be honest, we’ve got a very strong car, a reliable car too.
“We’ve always been there, so I hope it continues like this and if it does, the we probably have chances for the Championship which obviously makes me smile.
“It’s great to be back in this position.”
Hamilton revving to go again
Lewis Hamilton is keen to make amends for a poor start to the new season, saying: “I will be on Zoom calls with our bosses, and really trying to rally them up.
“We have got some improvements that we need to make and we need everyone’s support in doing so.
“It is about making sure we leave no stone unturned, that the hunger is there and we are maximising every moment.
“I will be chasing the people in the wind tunnel, the aerodynamic guys, and just looking at every single area.”
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
