Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris continued to impress in the second free practice session for the Made in Italy and Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola. Piastri, the Australian leader of the championship, clocked the fastest time of the session at one minute, 15.294 seconds, narrowly edging out his teammate Norris by just 25 milliseconds. Pierre Gasly also showcased a strong performance for Alpine, securing the third-fastest time, just 276 milliseconds behind Piastri.
Behind Gasly, George Russell finished fourth, four-tenths of a second slower than Piastri. Max Verstappen’s weekend got off to a less-than-stellar start, but he managed to stay ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who showed improvement compared to the first session after dealing with lingering effects of an illness. Verstappen was 442 milliseconds off the pace, while Leclerc was 475 milliseconds behind.
Ferrari’s progress throughout the day was slow but steady, with only one car showing improved performance at a time, leaving uncertainty for the rest of the weekend as the championship returns to Europe after six races abroad.
The competitive spirit between the teams, especially with McLaren’s strong showing, is promising for the fans as the teams prepare for what could be a thrilling race ahead. The anticipation for the weekend in Imola is building, and the teams will be looking to capitalize on their performances in the upcoming qualifying sessions.