Leclerc leads FP2 at Imola; Verstappen struggles continue
Charles Leclerc led Friday practice at the 2024 Imola Grand Prix, topping both FP1 and FP2. McLaren's Piastri came close, while Verstappen struggled, finishing seventh. Mercedes' Hamilton and Russell secured fourth and fifth. Norris' run was hampered, placing him 12th.
Charles Leclerc dominated Friday's practice sessions for the 2024 Imola Grand Prix, showcasing impressive pace in both FP1 and FP2.
Ferrari's strong performance was closely matched by McLaren, while Red Bull faced ongoing challenges with Max Verstappen.
Leclerc set the pace early in the second 60-minute practice session, initially running on medium and hard tyres.
When teams switched to soft tyres for mid-session qualifying simulations, Leclerc clocked the fastest time at 1m15.969s.
He then improved to 1m15.906s on a fresh set of softs, securing his position at the top.
McLaren's Lando Norris looked poised to challenge Ferrari, posting purple sectors on his sole soft tyre lap.
However, he ran wide exiting the Rivazza corners, dipping his wheels into the gravel and abandoning his lap.
He later returned to complete high-fuel runs, which are typical for the latter part of FP2.
Oscar Piastri, also from McLaren, managed to close within 0.192s of Leclerc's time during his qualifying simulation.
Yuki Tsunoda impressed by slotting into third place for Red Bull.
Mercedes' drivers, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, improved their times on their second soft tyre runs, moving into fourth and fifth, respectively.
Carlos Sainz, Leclerc's teammate, was bumped to sixth after an off-track moment at Variante Alta.
Verstappen's struggles persisted as he posted a lap 0.541s off Leclerc's best. The world champion faced significant issues in the middle sector, where he also went off-track.
During a second qualifying simulation attempt, Verstappen encountered a slow-moving Hamilton at the Villeneuve chicane, leading to an aborted run and a frustrated gesture.
This incident also affected Sergio Perez, who was forced to back off, finishing eighth behind Verstappen's seventh.
Verstappen later had another off-track moment between the Rivazza corners during high-fuel running.
Norris, unable to complete a clean soft tyre run, ended the session in 12th, behind Daniel Ricciardo in the other Red Bull.
Free Practice 2 Results:
Comments ()