McLaren dominate FP1 in Imola with Piastri and Norris leading a close pack including Sainz, Russell, Hamilton, and Verstappen.
Follow live coverage of FP1 in Imola as top F1 teams reveal major upgrades for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix season opener in Europe.
The seventh round of the 2025 Formula 1 season gets underway this Friday afternoon with Free Practice 1 at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola. This marks the start of the European leg of the championship, and as tradition dictates, teams have arrived with a wave of technical upgrades.
McLaren is rolling out a new rear wing, updated beam wing and rear brake ducts, along with a redesigned front suspension on the MCL39, all aimed at improving reliability. Ferrari is also bringing a fresh rear wing package, revised beam wing, and updated brake ducts.
Red Bull, meanwhile, has quietly introduced a new floor that hasn’t been officially listed in their upgrade package, as well as modified sidepod inlets, a new rear suspension, and reworked brake ducts. All four top teams have shown up in full force, with Mercedes unveiling a new front suspension, an updated front wing, and a redesigned engine cover.
Racing Bulls have introduced a new floor and engine cover, while Haas is delivering one of the most significant upgrade packages this weekend. The VF-25 features a new floor, reworked flow conditioners at the front, a redesigned diffuser, and a revised rear suspension.
Alpine has brought a new front wing and a tweaked engine cover, while Aston Martin’s AMR25 is packed with upgrades, including new sidepods, a modified floor with redesigned vertical vanes and edges, an updated diffuser, a revised beam wing, and a reshaped Halo.
At 1:10 PM, Oscar Piastri responded with humor to suggestions that McLaren’s MCL39 may be bending the rules. Referring to a quirky theory involving water in the tires, something Red Bull suspects, he joked:
“Honestly, I haven’t read any of it because I’m not worried. Maybe next time we’ll put little toy figures on a slide or something, we’ll think of something fun. But everything’s been approved. I’m not concerned, we just keep going.”
At 1:12 PM, it was confirmed that Charles Leclerc is present and ready to race in Imola, despite missing Thursday’s media duties. The Monegasque driver won’t be replaced by a reserve and will be driving for Ferrari as usual.
1:30 PM: Free Practice 1 is underway.
1:32 PM: Franco Colapinto heads out immediately to get accustomed to his new car.
1:35 PM: Leclerc impeded Fernando Alonso; the stewards have noted the incident.
1:35 PM: Leclerc impeded Fernando Alonso; the stewards have noted the incident.
1:39 PM: Alonso goes fastest with a 1:18.281 on soft tyres, ahead of Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda. Alpine, Haas, and Sauber drivers are on mediums. Williams is the only team splitting programs, with Alex Albon on softs and Carlos Sainz on mediums.
1:41 PM: Gasly sets the fastest time with a 1:18.110, immediately beaten by George Russell’s 1:17.561. Lando Norris improves to 1:17.491, and Oscar Piastri moves into third, quickly overtaken by Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
1:44 PM: Alonso moves up to fourth, while Lance Stroll, running the new package, goes sixth. Aston Martin is comparing both car versions today. Lewis Hamilton slots into third.
1:46 PM: Piastri climbs back to third. Albon sets the fastest first sector but finishes only twelfth. Norris improves with a 1:17.125.
1:47 PM: On medium tyres, Gabriel Bortoleto jumps to a surprising second place.
1:48 PM: Isack Hadjar takes sixth, and Stroll moves up to fourth.
1:49 PM: Yuki Tsunoda goes second, and Russell sets the fastest time with a 1:16.599.
1:53 PM: Gasly takes second, Andrea Kimi Antonelli moves into third. Sainz goes fourth, and Albon climbs to sixth. Max Verstappen remains 15th.
1:57 PM: Tsunoda is impeded by Colapinto. Verstappen moves up to second, three-tenths behind Russell.
1:58 PM: Sainz beats him and takes second. Williams is having a strong start to the weekend.
2:02 PM: Piastri goes fastest with a 1:16.545.
2:08 PM: Hamilton climbs to third, less than a tenth off. Norris slots between Piastri and Russell, just 0.032 behind his teammate.
2:13 PM: Colapinto runs wide, putting two wheels into the gravel.
2:16 PM: Albon goes completely off track, but without consequence, while Leclerc dips a wheel into the gravel.
2:18 PM: Sainz moves up to third, 0.052 behind Piastri and two tenths ahead of Russell. Five drivers are now within a tenth of a second.
2:21 PM: Drivers are now running long stints to prepare for the race under Sunday-like conditions.
2:25 PM: Verstappen made a mistake in a corner and hit his steering wheel, clearly frustrated with the behaviour of his RB21.
2:27 PM: A yellow flag is shown after an error by Gabriel Bortoleto, who hit the wall at the final corner. The session is red-flagged and will not resume. The Brazilian suffered a front-end impact, but the damage is minor and he is unharmed.
Red flag as Bortoleto crashes!
2:30 PM: The session is officially over.
Piastri and Norris secure a McLaren one-two in the opening session of the weekend, ahead of Sainz, Russell, and Hamilton, all closely matched. Gasly finishes sixth, 0.151 behind, with Verstappen seventh, three tenths off, after complaining about stability issues on his Red Bull.
Albon takes eighth ahead of Bortoleto, who ended his session in the wall, and Nico Hülkenberg, giving Sauber both cars in the top ten. Stroll is 11th with the updated Aston Martin, followed by Leclerc, Antonelli, and Alonso, then Lawson and Tsunoda. Colapinto, Bearman, Hadjar, and Ocon round out the order.
2025 F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix – Practice Results
| Pos | Driver | Time |
| 1 | Oscar Piastri | 1m16.545s |
| 2 | Lando Norris | 1m16.577s |
| 3 | Carlos Sainz | 1m16.597s |
| 4 | George Russell | 1m16.599s |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | 1m16.641s |
| 6 | Pierre Gasly | 1m16.696s |
| 7 | Max Verstappen | 1m16.905s |
| 8 | Alex Albon | 1m16.922s |
| 9 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 1m16.925s |
| 10 | Nico Hulkenberg | 1m16.998s |
| 11 | Lance Stroll | 1m17.032s |
| 12 | Charles Leclerc | 1m17.077s |
| 13 | Kimi Antonelli | 1m17.094s |
| 14 | Fernando Alonso | 1m17.121s |
| 15 | Liam Lawson | 1m17.286s |
| 16 | Yuki Tsunoda | 1m17.356s |
| 17 | Franco Colapinto | 1m17.373s |
| 18 | Oliver Bearman | 1m17.446s |
| 19 | Isack Hadjar | 1m17.641s |
| 20 | Esteban Ocon | 1m17.662s |
- Discover More>F1 drivers’ reactions from Thursday media day at Imola
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