McLaren’s Young Guns Shine Bright in a Dramatic First Practice at Imola
The sun shone brightly over the rolling hills of Imola as the 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix weekend roared into life with the first free practice session on Friday. But while the skies were calm, the track action quickly proved anything but. It was Oscar Piastri who came out on top in a session that had it all—traffic, off-track moments, evolving conditions, and ultimately, a red flag that brought an early end to proceedings.
In what turned out to be a statement session for McLaren, Piastri took P1, just ahead of his teammate Lando Norris, as the Woking-based squad looked immediately comfortable around the narrow, old-school Italian circuit. But the session’s headline wasn’t just about lap times—it was also marked by a dramatic crash from Gabriel Bortoleto, which halted the session with two minutes remaining.
A Session of Firsts: New Tires, New Faces, New Momentum
The opening practice of a race weekend is always about setting a baseline, and in Imola, there were more variables than usual to consider. Chief among them? The first on-track appearance of Pirelli’s softest compound, the experimental C6 tire. While these compounds won’t be used for qualifying or the race itself, they offered teams a valuable data point for potential future weekends—and a useful way to push their cars to the limit in search of lap time.
Joining the established grid were a few fresh faces, as teams took the opportunity to rotate young drivers into Friday practice roles. Oliver Bearman was the first driver to hit the track, continuing his regular FP1 outings. He was followed by Franco Colapinto, making his long-awaited debut in a Formula 1 session, standing in for Esteban Ocon at Alpine. Also returning was Jack Doohan, stepping into Pierre Gasly’s seat in the second Alpine.
Within the opening laps, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso laid down the first benchmark lap time of the day—an early 1:18.281. But that figure wouldn’t stand long, as track conditions steadily improved and the times began to tumble.
Norris, Then Russell, Then Piastri
After about 15 minutes of running, McLaren’s Lando Norris shot to the top with a 1:17.125, giving the first clear indication that McLaren might have brought something special to Imola this weekend. That time, however, was quickly bettered by George Russell, who responded with a tidy 1:16.599—placing Mercedes momentarily at the head of the table.
Max Verstappen, running on a slightly older set of tires, looked poised to challenge the top time. His pace in the first sector was competitive, but the reigning World Champion appeared to lose ground through the technical middle portion of the lap—possibly a sign that Red Bull’s RB20 was still hunting for the right setup on this particular layout.
But the true star of the session emerged moments later. Oscar Piastri, always calm and calculated, clocked a 1:16.545 to vault himself into P1. It was a lap that looked smooth, composed, and well-executed from start to finish. More importantly, it demonstrated just how comfortable the McLaren MCL39 was with the low-fuel, soft-tyre setup.
Norris, just 0.032 seconds adrift, settled into P2, giving McLaren a commanding 1-2 at the top of the timesheets.
Technical Frustrations and Off-Track Adventures
While McLaren thrived, others faced more difficult moments. Gabriel Bortoleto, subbing in at McLaren’s customer team for the session, radioed early complaints about the car’s handling and requested a check of the ride height—a possible indication that the balance wasn’t quite where it needed to be.
Further down the field, Lewis Hamilton voiced frustrations with his SF-25 over team radio, reporting that the car was “not slowing down the way it should.” It’s unclear whether this was a brake balance issue or a general dissatisfaction with the front-end grip, but either way, it wasn’t the smoothest start for Ferrari at their home race.
The Crash That Ended It All
With just two minutes left on the clock, the red flags were flown following a heavy incident involving Bortoleto at Turn 18. The Brazilian rookie lost control of the rear end on corner exit and spun into the barriers. Fortunately, he emerged from the car unscathed, but the damage was enough to end the session prematurely, robbing drivers of a final flying lap attempt.
Though no major injuries occurred, the crash cast a shadow over what had otherwise been a highly productive session for many teams. Red Bull, Mercedes, and Ferrari all appeared to be keeping some performance in reserve—while McLaren’s pace may have reflected a more aggressive early push.
Final Classification: McLaren on Top, Ferrari on the Rise
When the dust settled, Oscar Piastri topped the timing sheets, followed closely by Norris in P2 and Carlos Sainz in third—a promising sign for Ferrari at their home circuit. George Russell slotted into fourth, with Lewis Hamilton rounding out the top five.
Behind them, Verstappen finished down in sixth—though few believe that reflects Red Bull’s true pace. The Dutch driver spent much of the session on used tires and didn’t seem to extract maximum performance from his RB20 just yet.
Top 10 – FP1 Classification:
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 1:16.545
- Lando Norris (McLaren) – +0.032
- Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
- Esteban Ocon (Alpine)*
- Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)
*Note: Franco Colapinto completed the session for Ocon.
What We Learned from FP1
McLaren’s strong start reaffirms the effectiveness of their Imola update package—particularly in low-speed traction zones and through Imola’s chicanes, where balance and compliance are everything. Both Piastri and Norris looked confident in pushing the car to the limit, which bodes well for qualifying later in the weekend.
Ferrari will be quietly encouraged by Sainz’s pace, especially with the Tifosi watching closely. Mercedes, while competitive, seem to still be navigating setup tweaks, and Red Bull—though always a looming threat—have yet to show their full hand.
Looking Ahead: FP2 and Beyond
All eyes now turn to Free Practice 2, set to begin at 18:00 local time (Turkish time). With more representative race simulations expected during the second session, FP2 should provide a clearer picture of long-run performance and tire degradation—two factors that could define strategy around the high-curb, high-punishment layout of Imola.
But if FP1 taught us anything, it’s that McLaren has come to play—and with Piastri and Norris leading the charge, the rest of the field has been put on notice.
