The first free practice at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari is a fact. In Imola the fastest time was just recorded by none other than Charles Leclerc. Behind him, George Russell was in second place on the times list. This time the top three was completed by Carlos Sainz.
The first free practice started on a warm Imola circuit. While the sun was shining brightly, the drivers came onto the track en masse. Many teams are running new parts on the cars, so it was important to collect data. Lando Norris was one of the men who took to the track with aero rakes on his car.
Bearman
Oliver Bearman also rode on the track again. Earlier in the day he crashed in Formula 2 training, but now he was allowed to drive Kevin Magnussen’s car. The young Brit knows that at Haas people mainly look at his training, so he had to perform well.
After twenty minutes, Bearman and co were allowed back inside. Alexander Albon suffered from technical problems and had to park his Williams in the grass. Lewis Hamilton waved to the fans on his way to the pits, and Albon headed back to the pit lane. He was not the only one with discomfort, as Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon and Guanyu Zhou suffered from bouncing problems.
Spins
After the red flag the track was immediately busy again. Several drivers were sent out on the soft tires and there were a few fast times. George Russell and the Ferrari duo Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc topped the times list. Daniel Ricciardo was in a different place, as he dived deep into the gravel trap. He managed to continue on his way, and then it was a big relief.
Ricciardo was in good company, because he was certainly not the only one who made a mistake. Carlos Sainz cut the chicane, while Lewis Hamilton spun. The British seven-time world champion was lucky, as he almost hit the wall. That would be a disappointment for Mercedes, because she had a good session.
Verstappen
Max Verstappen, in turn, had a more difficult time, because he noticed that his tear-off had ended up in his brake duct. Before anything went wrong, Red Bull solved the problem. His fast lap then did not go as hoped. Verstappen complained about grip problems on the on-board radio, he was clearly not satisfied. Things almost went wrong in the closing minutes when he shot straight into the chicane. In the last minute, Verstappen wanted to set a fast time, but now he shot straight through the gravel trap. So there is plenty of work to be done for Red Bull.
Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari – 17 May 2024
2024-05-17 12:31:26
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