First Practice Session Yields Tight Battle Between Piastri and Norris

In a thrilling start to the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix weekend, rookie Oscar Piastri narrowly beat McLaren teammate Lando Norris by 0.032 seconds in the first free practice session at Imola. The historic Italian track outside Bologna played host to an action-packed session as most teams unveiled significant upgrade packages for the opening European race weekend of the 2025 season.

Norris Leads Early Running, Piastri Takes Charge Later

Lando Norris set the early pace with a blistering lap of 1m17.125s on soft tires, with Pirelli debuting its softest C6 compound for added excitement. George Russell then took over at the top with a 1m16.599s until Piastri claimed the lead shortly after the halfway mark, posting a swift 1m16.545s lap around the 4.909km circuit.

Norris responded promptly but trailed by 0.174 seconds on his first attempt. After improving in the final sector, Norris clocked a faster 1m16.577s, just 0.032 seconds behind Piastri – a gap of only 0.020 seconds separating them from Carlos Sainz’s impressive Williams.

Lewis Hamilton voiced concerns about his Ferrari‘s brakes early on but found pace to finish fifth, less than a tenth behind Piastri. Alpine’s upgrades showed promise as Pierre Gasly claimed sixth, only 0.151 seconds adrift of the leader.

Max Verstappen ended seventh in the Red Bull, three and a half tenths off the pace, testing a revised rear suspension and other modifications to the RB21. The reigning world champion was less than satisfied with the car’s through-corner balance, expressing his dissatisfaction to the team.

The second Williams of Alex Albon and Sauber duo Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg completed the top 10. However, Bortoleto’s impressive start was marred by a late crash at Rivazza, where his Sauber oversteered on entry into Imola’s last corner complex, sending him off course and into the outside gravel trap before making light contact with the wall.

Williams and Sauber were the only teams not to declare any upgrades this weekend, which may explain their quick adaptation in FP1 compared to their rivals.

Late Crash Overshadows Rookie’s Impressive Start

Gabriel Bortoleto’s positive start was overshadowed by a late crash at Rivazza, where the Brazilian lost control on entry into the first part of Imola’s last corner complex. The incident sent him off course and into the outside gravel trap before making light contact with the wall.