Leclerc leads Russell in the first practice in Emilia Romagna

Charles Leclerc from Ferrari was the fastest during the first practice session of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola. The session marked the return of Formula 1 to the historic circuit after a year of absence due to floods. Leclerc set a time of 1:16.990s, finishing 0.104s ahead of George Russell from Mercedes. Carlos Sainz from Ferrari came in third, followed by Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen from Red Bull. Verstappen faced some difficulties during the session, including a pit stop to remove a tear-off from his visor and some mistakes on the track. Yuki Tsunoda from Red Bull had a solid performance, securing sixth place. Lewis Hamilton spun, but managed to finish in seventh place. McLaren had a smooth session, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in eighth and ninth place, respectively, while Fernando Alonso from Aston Martin completed the top 10. Oliver Bearman returned to Formula 1 with Haas and finished in 15th place. The session was briefly suspended when Alex Albon’s Williams shut off after going over a kerb. The second practice session is scheduled for 5:00 PM local time.