Leclerc fastest as Verstappen has ‘bad day’

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc set the pace in both Friday practice sessions at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Leclerc, using Ferrari’s first big upgrade of the season, was 0.192 seconds quicker than McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, with the RB of Yuki Tsunoda a surprise third.

Lando Norris was on course to do a time similar to Leclerc’s but ran wide at the final corner and aborted his lap. The McLaren driver ended up 12th fastest.

Championship leader Max Verstappen was seventh, struggling with his car in the fast corners in the middle sector of the lap.

Lewis Hamilton took fourth fastest time for Mercedes, 0.391secs behind, just ahead of team-mate George Russell.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was sixth and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez eighth, with Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso 10th.

Verstappen spent both sessions complaining over the radio about the behaviour of his car.

In the first session, the three-time champion was lacking grip at the Acque Minerale combination of corners, while in the afternoon he said: “It is difficult everything, man. This time suddenly the front grips up a lot and I almost spin.”

Leclerc, by contrast, looked comfortable in the upgraded Ferrari all day, after the team introduced their first major development to the car, featuring revised aerodynamics around the bodywork and floor.

Norris, driving the same upgraded McLaren with which he won in Miami, also looked competitive – he retained the fastest time in the second sector throughout the session, underlining his inherent pace despite his lowly position in the timesheets.

On the race-simulation runs later in the session, the margins were small, but Perez appeared the quickest driver, fractionally ahead of Leclerc and then Norris.

Verstappen was still struggling, despite Red Bull bringing their own upgrade, unable to set consistently quick times and running wide at Rivazza at one point.