Charles Leclerc set the pace for Ferrari in both practice sessions at Imola on Friday. It was a promising glimpse of what the Scuderia could do with their new upgrades.
In the opening session, Leclerc topped the times with a 1:16.990, with George Russell a surprising second-fastest for Mercedes. The Englishman was a tenth behind as he split the two Ferraris.
Then, in the afternoon, the Monegasque had the chance to bolt on a set of soft tyres for a qualifying simulation. He sliced a second off his lap time (1:15.906) and doubled his advantage over his nearest challenger (Oscar Piastri in this case).
Carlos Sainz struggled to extract the full potential of the SF-24 in FP2, finishing more than half a second behind in sixth. He also left the track multiple times, suggesting he’s yet to find the right balance.
Ferrari’s updates have been the talk of the paddock at Imola. After McLaren won the Miami Grand Prix with an ‘astonishing’ set of developments, this is their attempt to strike back.
Lando Norris’ team principal Andrea Stella was spotted taking a close look at the new car in the pitlane on Friday. He’ll no doubt have observed the ‘shark mouth’ sidepod entrance, a feature Ferrari have copied from championship leaders Red Bull.
Damon Hill winces at closing speeds on Charles Leclerc lap
After FP2, Damon Hill rewatched the onboard footage of Leclerc’s 1:15.9 live on Sky Sports F1. Hill hadn’t seen the lap because he’d spent much of the session trackside.
He was shocked by the amount of times Leclerc had to overtake slower cars when driving flat-out. The 1996 F1 world champion expressed discomfort with the closing speeds in the fastest parts of the race track.
It was a session full of impeding, leaving multiple drivers frustrated. Most notably, Max Verstappen expressed his frustration with former title rival Lewis Hamilton at the end of the first sector.
“This is the other thing that I found shocking actually,” Hill said. “The cars have to pull over and they have to pass in the middle of their fast lap.”
Valtteri Bottas sends warning to Charles Leclerc about Lewis Hamilton
This is Hamilton’s first visit to Italy since he announced he’d be joining Ferrari for the 2025 season. Next year, he’ll swap Mercedes’ colours for scarlet red.
The F1 world is awaiting his battle with Leclerc with huge excitement. It will no doubt be painted as the seasoned master up against the rapid apprentice.
Speaking this week, Hamilton’s former teammate Valtteri Bottas told Leclerc that he’d immediately realise why the 39-year-old has been so successful. But he’s still backing the Monegasque to hold his own.
Sebastian Vettel thinks it will be ‘difficult’ for Fred Vasseur to manage the dynamic between the two drivers. Vettel’s relationship with Leclerc during their two years together at Maranello remained cordial, but tensions could rise if there’s a championship on the line.
Mika Hakkinen is confident that the 26-year-old can cause Hamilton ‘problems’. After all, it’s been nip-and-tuck between the seven-time champion and newcomer Russell since the start of 2022.
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